


The Truth Is Here

by grayskiesatdawn



Category: The X-Files, Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Complete, Crossover, Gen, If you only read one work by me, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:51:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grayskiesatdawn/pseuds/grayskiesatdawn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agents Mulder and Scully are sent to investigate some strange disappearances in Seattle. The trail leads back to Forks and a vampire army. Mid-run X-Files meets Eclipse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Missing and the Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Twilight or X-Files, so my apologies to Stephenie Meyer and Chris Carter. This is not an exceptionally original story, there other crossovers, but I felt this storyline was logical. This is as canon as I can make it for both series. Mid-run Mulder and Scully met the Twilight gang just before the battle in Eclipse. Yeah, I know this doesn't match up time wise, but just suspend your belief.

Chapter 1

The Missing and the Dead

Never one for parties, Janice Snowden slipped silently out the grand French doors of the Rain Garden Hotel. Leaving the glittering lights and bustle of her cousin Sophia's wedding, she picked her way slowly down the gravel path to the immaculate English style garden. The gray twilight still rang with the reception guests' laughter and the tinkling of silverware on crystal and china. The sounds and the sights would have been magical to anyone else, but Janice was practical and couldn't get caught up in the silly nonsense of a wedding, nor the drama of a gray misty twilight settling in around the garden. She paused a moment, bending down and removing her highly impractical heels. Rising again, she crunched the silver shoes in her left and gathered up the slippery taffeta of her dress in her right hand. She wandered through the labyrinth of boxwood hedges, letting her mind unwind the stresses of the day. She didn't register the faint rustle of fabric from behind her; she thought it was only the breeze that shifted the scrunched taffeta in her hand.

Janice sat down on the damp stone bench, facing the marble fountain at the center of the labyrinth. She tossed her shoes down beside the bench and closed her eyes. The sounds of the wedding reception had faded away and everything around her was at peace. She smiled for the first time since the whole wedding began. Her silent stress floated out from her into the swirling mist.

"It's a little late to be wandering in the garden."

The voice should have startled her, but Janice was too practical to fear. Besides, the seductive velvet of the masculine voice sounded too friendly to be threatening. Janice opened her eyes and looked toward the owner of the voice. He was tall and thin. His dark completion looked somewhat ashy and sickly, but perhaps that was a trick of the light. She assumed he followed her from the reception, but she couldn't recall seeing him before.

"No, it's a perfect time to visit a garden. I don't like parties. I'd much rather be here." She left out the part about preferring to be alone. If he had followed her, that meant he found her attractive, or interesting. As practical as she was, Janice never passed on an opportunity for a quick lay. Sex, to her, was an impulse best acted on as soon as the need presented itself. The need was there and so was her opportunity. She turned to face the approaching stranger more fully.

"That's good. I never liked an audience." The dark stranger stepped closer and Janice felt her heartbeat quicken. His very voice aroused her in a way no man ever had before. This was going to be good.

"Well then, we have plenty in common." Her voice lowered, husky with desire.

"Yes." The stranger was standing in front of Janice, almost too quickly to be possible. But she had one thing on her mind and didn't notice. He reached for her and she took his hand.

She noticed several things at once as she gripped his icy hand. She was enveloped in a heady scent, nearly nauseating in its sweetness. And the stranger's eyes were very unusual. The strange hue seemed to glow red. His casual clothing also suggested he was not a wedding guest.

Poor, practical Janice ignored the warning shiver that raced up her spine. The stranger turned her head to the side and kissed her fully on her neck, tracing his lips down to the place where the shoulder joins the neck and chest, just above the collarbone. She moaned.

His victims always tasted the sweetest when they were sexually aroused. Perhaps he could use her first, but no, the pulse beneath his lips was too much for him. The scent of her blood was too strong. He crushed her against him and bit down into the sweet, tender spot he had located. She never uttered a gasp as he sucked her blood.

He ignored the fleeting thought of licking the wound on her neck shut before it was too late, and continued drawing in great gulps of her blood into his parched throat. He heard her heartbeat quiver and begin to fail. He wouldn't get much more of her intoxicating nectar before her heart gave out. With one last mouthful, he crushed her violently against his chest, hearing her ribs and sternum crack. She fell limply to the ground. He grasped her head in his hands and twisted it so hard he heard, not only her neck snap neatly in half, but several vertebrae below the initial fracture shatter as well.

He stood back and admired the beautiful, pale body, clad in shimmering red taffeta. He felt guilt for a second that he hadn't turned her into the shadow creature he was, but only Victoria and Riley had that privilege. He shrugged and pulled out the vaguely familiar engraved lighter from his jeans pocket. Studying it for a millisecond, he wondered what the woman whom had given it to him had looked like. Did she look like the twisted, drained body before him? He knew that the memory was long gone, and flicked the lighter open and got a flame started. He touched the flame to the wound on the his elegantly dead victim's neck, making sure the flame touched the clear fluid seeping out of the gash. He hoped there was enough venom in her to start a good fire.

The next time anyone saw Janice Snowden, some twenty minutes later, she was in flames.

(*)

Ben Boyle, chief of the Seattle Police Department, pulled the white sheet down to expose the new victim's face, what was left of it. The charred skin pulled away from the mouth, revealing even, white teeth. He flipped the sheet back over the scorched face and its grisly semblance of a smile, disgusted and very frustrated.

"Jesus Christ! The second one tonight! Do we have an ID for this one or are we going to have to wait twenty four hours for some poor family to file a missing person report?"

The young lieutenant balked at Boyle's gruff tone. "We have to make a positive ID by dental records, to be certain. But..."

"Jimmy, I fucking know that! Did anyone know," he gestured at the corpse on the gurney, "who this was?" Hell, the body was so badly burned, he couldn't even tell if it was a male or a female.

"Sir, we interviewed all of the wedding and hotel guest and everyone's been accounted for, except a woman. Janice Snowden. She was a cousin of the bride and a bridesmaid." Jimmy held up a sealed evidence bag containing a pair of silver high-heeled sandals. "The rest of the girls had the same type of shoes."

Boyle made a disgruntled sound deep in his throat. "Family?"

"She wasn't married, but most of her family was here at the reception when she was found."

Ben Boyle let out a long, tired sigh. "Jesus fucking Christ. This goddamned nonsense has got to stop." He rubbed his hand over the thick, graying stubble on his chin. The static breaking through on the radio of a nearby squad car made him start. He knew what the dispacher's voice was going to say, even before the sound left the radio. This was going to be one hell of a night.

"Jimmy, I want you to go back to the station and make a few calls. We're going to need all the help we can get on this one. And soon."

(*)

"They never send us anywhere remotely sunny, do they? Always rain and damp and cold, never any sun." Agent Dana Scully gazed out of the rain spattered car window, her breath fogging the chilly glass slightly.

"Just like they never spring for a luxury rental car. Always some bland fleet car and never a Porsche."

Scully turned her head away from the window to glare at her long-time professional partner, Fox Mulder. "Just like you always drive."

Mulder flashed her a charmingly boyish smile. "What can I say? Some things are just meant to be a certain way. Next case, you can drive, promise. At least the Agency still springs for separate rooms."

"There's always that." She sighed and turned to look out at the gloomy buildings. She never liked where her thoughts strayed when Mulder smiled at her like that. "So, why are we here in Seattle? I thought they already had a team of profilers here from the behavioral unit."

"Apparently, they're a little stumped. There's some facts that seem a little...impossible."

"Impossible, how?" Instinctively, she held her breath, waiting for Mulder to say something about alien abductions, ghosts, demons or something of that sort. That was his explanation for most things, and he did happen to get it right more often than she'd like to admit. Sometimes, she almost found herself believing without questioning. For Mulder, she nearly took the leap, almost.

"Well, for starters, bodies have been found burned with an accelerant, but they can't find any evidence to say for sure. There's some other things, but we're almost to the station. We'll have a good look at the files."

(*)

"Chief Boyle, I'm Agent Mulder and this is my partner, Agent Scully." Mulder flashed his badge and tucked it away again in a pocket. "We hear you need help."

"Understatement of the year." Boyle grimly shook hands with the FBI agents and steered them over to the last vacant conference room. "Have a seat." He motioned for them to sit down and poked his head back out the door. "Jimmy, bring me those copies of the case files."

Jimmy appeared swiftly, carrying a large file box. "Thanks, Jimmy." Boyle removed the lid and passed each agent several stacks of manilla folders. He paced while Mulder and Scully perused the files for several minutes.

Mulder leafed through his stack, occasionally catching a glimpse of Scully from the corner of his eye. Her head was bent over the never ending supply of files, glasses perch low on her nose. Mulder was pretty sure she was the only woman he knew that could make researching grisly cases sexy But they were here on business. "Have you or any of the other FBI agents noticed a pattern in the disappearances?"

"All the disappearances have occurred overnight, as have the discovery of most of the bodies. We don't find a body for everyone that has gone missing in the past three months. There has been an increase in the number of those found missing and dead. If it keeps escalating, whoever is doing this is going to exceed the Green River Killer's numbers."

"No other connections?" Mulder glanced over at Scully, who was intensely studying autopsy photos.

"Nothing. The victims can't be connected in any other way. They only thing that connects them is when and where they disappear. There's a few more men than women, but nothing to make a clear profile. They don't even disappear in the same sections of town. The only thing the profilers came up with was the fact that this appears to be the work of a group, not a single person, maybe even several groups. Well that much was pretty damned obvious. When you're finding two flaming bodies on the same night and they're on opposite sides of the city, it isn't one person doing this. I sent their useless asses back to Washington." Boyle sat down hard in the metal chair and slammed his fist into the table.

Scully laid her glasses down on top of the thick pile of autopsy photos. "Have all the bodies you found been burned?"

"Burned and crushed. The coroner can't say when the victims were crushed, you know, before or after death. John is pretty sure some sort of accelerant was used to burn the bodies, but he can't find any trace evidence that matches anything we know."

Mulder could see Scully's mind working. Her face was deep in thought as she resumed questioning Chief Boyle. "This only started happening three months ago?"

"Yeah. Before this, we only had missing whores and homeless people, occasionally a runaway teen, but nothing like this. Most of these people had no reason to run away. They had families and careers. Hell, one even disappeared right out of his god damned seat in a movie theater. None of it makes any damned sense."

Scully pressed her lips together, thinking. "Have any neighboring communities had similar disappearances recently?"

"Come to think of it, this past February and early March, a town on the Olympic Peninsula had a couple of tourists and hikers disappear. I think they also had sightings of a huge bear or wolf or something along that line. It stopped about a month ago. I never thought much of it, I mean hikers and mountain climbers disappear all the time. And it seemed pretty clear that those incidents were related to the animal sighted."

This bit of information piqued Mulder's curiosity. The same news caused Scully to shudder. "Don't even think about it," she mouthed silently to Mulder. But he did, anyway.

"Do you remember the name of the town, Chief Boyle?"

"Yeah, it was Forks. An old buddy of mine is chief out there."

"Can you get us some contact information? I think we might need to see their case files too."

"Sure thing, Agent Mulder." Boyle rose and went out the door.

Before Mulder could say anything more, Scully raised a restraining hand. "No, Mulder, just no. How can you be so sure that these cases are even remotely connected? We are needed here, not in some God forsaken damp wilderness."

"I have a hunch they're connected." Again, Mulder flashed that smile of his and Scully was considering the possibilities. His hunches were rarely wrong, but still.

"Fine, we'll go to Forks, but I want to examine the bodies myself before we go."

"Of course." Mulder's smile widened and he returned to the files. Scully resumed reading the autopsy files and looking at the horrific montage of photos.

Moments later, Chief Boyle returned with a slip of paper, which he handed to Mulder. "Here's the address to Forks' police station. Chief Charlie Swan is the one you'll want to talk to. I already called him and told him to expect you some time soon."

"Chief Boyle, I was wondering if some of the victims were still in the morgue. I would like to re-examine them, in case anything went unnoticed."

"The last three victims are still there, over at Harbor View's morgue. The bodies were so charred that the ME did a virtual autopsy on them."

"Thank you. We'll be in contact if we find anything useful. Mulder, we had better get going if you want to drive out to Forks today."


	2. Nothing Comes From Nothing

Mulder was still scanning over the copied files he brought to the morgue, while Scully examined the bodies and the digital images of the virtopsy. He liked to keep low key when she was in her element. He could see how the FBI profilers were stumped. There were no patterns at all. Serial killers were methodical and precise and only occasionally sloppy. No evidence pointed to a particular killer or even a specific group of killers. The media had thrown around the idea of the killings being gang related, but that notion didn't sit well with Mulder. Gang members weren't known for keeping an immaculate crime scene, so some tiny speck of evidence like a hair or fiber should have been left behind. Hell, even a bloody footprint would have been something to go on, but all thirty-nine cases yielded nothing.

A sudden thought sent him looking through the crime scene photos again. Something was definitely off. All the bodies had been brutally crushed, to the point where internal injuries were beyond likely, and yet there was very little or no blood at all in the immediate area of the bodies. He supposed it would be possible for the victim not to bleed out, but all thirty-nine, that seemed highly improbable.

Perhaps, the final resting site was not where the victim's life ended. It wasn't unusual for a serial killer to dump bodies far from the original abduction site, days later, but not in the mere minutes or hours that these were disposed. Or the distance. One victim was abducted from Lake City only to be found halfway across the city near Lincoln Park a half an hour later when a bus stop caught fire. And some victims were mere yards from where they were last seen. Chief Boyle was right, this was the handiwork of a group. A group of what? Blood draining killers? A gang of rampaging vampires? It was very odd and as clear an X-file case as any. The blood thing still troubled Mulder the most.

The lack of blood was also troubling Scully. "Come here, Mulder. There's something really wrong here."

He walked over to the exam table, where she stood, clad in a surgical gown. "What's wrong?"

"There's no blood in any of the bodies."

"Wouldn't it burn?"

"Some would, but there would still be a residue left if it did. It goes against the laws of matter; matter just doesn't disappear when it burns, it converts to something else. And fire is a terrible way of destroying evidence. The fire wasn't hot enough to destroy all the organs, so some blood would remain in them, but there's nothing. The ME had to use dental records and DNA extracted from the pulp of the teeth to identify the victims for certainty. Normally, arterial blood taken from close to the heart is used to make a DNA match, but there wasn't any blood."

"There's very little blood in the crime scene photos."

"But that's impossible. The internal injuries, whether or not they happened after death, would have caused some external bleeding or blood pooling. The blood must have been drained at another location."

"That would explain it, except some of the victims couldn't have been moved very far, if at all, when they died. This one here, Janice Snowden, died only five hundred yards from where she was last seen. And there's no blood anywhere between that hotel and where her body was found."

"Are you trying to say a vampire is responsible for all the killings?"

"Maybe. But I'd say there's more than one. There's too many victims for just one vampire. Can you find any puncture marks?"

"No. The neck area is where the burns are the most severe." Scully pointed to Janice Snowden's charred remains. "See, it looks like this is where the fire originated."

"That's odd. An accelerant would have had to been used to damage the body like that." Mulder leaned in for a closer look. "It almost looks like the fire started on the inside. Is that even possible?"

"I don't think so, unless it was injected into the body. Even then, I don't think it would work."

"Can you find any trace of an accelerant?"

"No. I did send a sample from the neck to the lab, in case no one from the ME's team did."

"That's my girl."

Scully eyed Mulder skeptically. "You really think a group of vampires did this, don't you?"

"It seems like the best logical guess, given the evidence."

"I don't know about logical, Mulder, but I can't come up with anything to explain this. How this is happening is one thing, but why is another matter all together. If this is the work of a vampire, or group of vampires as you seem to think, why dispose of the bodies like this? Wouldn't it make more sense to have a remote dumping site for all the bodies?"

Mulder shrugged his shoulders. "You would think so."

"And aren't vampires supposed to keep a low profile, blend in with the rest of society?"

"All the lore points to that. I think we've gotten a handle on how these people are dying, let's go look for our why. I really think the answer to all of this, is at Forks."

(*)

"There has to be a more logical answer to this, something more than vampires."

"You said before we left Seattle that you couldn't come up with a logical explanation."

"Well, just because  _I_  can't, doesn't mean that there isn't one, somewhere."

"I'm not saying you have to always come up with a logical, scientific explanation. Scully, you put yourself under too much stress."

"I do it for...I do it so you can keep your job." She nearly stumbled over that one. She always felt the need to provide some sort of scientific basis for Mulder's cases. She did question why  _she_  had to be the one to provide that, but the answer, recently, had been less that it was part of her job, and more that she didn't want to disappoint him.

"Thanks for that, Scully."

"You're welcome." They had spent almost all of the three hours from Seattle to Forks, grasping at straws. No matter how you lined up the evidence, none it made any sense. "I'm still trying to figure out why these cases in Forks have any relation to those in Seattle."

"I don't know. There's something about how suddenly the disappearances stopped that just nags me."

"Whatever animal responsible could have been caught and relocated."

"True." Mulder had drawn in a breath, about to speak again, when a sudden blur raced out of the dark forest and across the road. He slammed on the brakes and the tires squealed against the wet pavement in protest. The blur had disappeared even before the car stopped, into the dank, misty forest on the opposite side of the road.

Scully looked stunned as she met Mulder's glance. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure, but what ever it was, it was big and fast. I'll bet it left tracks. I'll check my side of the road and you can check yours." He was out of the car before she could respond. She looked hesitantly at her side of the road, the side in which the thing had vanished into the mist. Scully got out of the car, hand on her gun. You never could be too sure of what lurked in dark, damp forests.

Scanning the forest floor yielded nothing but a smeared partial print of some large mammal. It was enough, though, to send Scully back to the idling car and wait for Mulder. He stumbled down the slick embankment moments later.

"Did you find anything?" He was a bit out of breath.

"Just a partial print, nothing definitive though. Just a tip of a claw and the pad of a large mammal paw." She pointed in the direction of the print, in case he wanted to check it himself. She sincerely hoped he'd take her word on it, she wanted to get to Forks and find out there was no connection to the Seattle cases. Scully had an illogical feeling that staying near Forks was far from safe and that Seattle was much safer, though evidence screamed a different story.

Mulder nodded. "I believe you. We'd better let it go though; we don't know for sure they found the animal responsible for the disappearances here." They both slid back into the car and resumed the last leg of their trip. Scully could see Mulder was deep in thought.

"You're thinking that this thing we just saw is connected to the Seattle murders, aren't you?"

"Of course not, that's just silly. When's the last time you saw a bear or a wolf operating a lighter? Unless, it's a werewolf. Or a werebear."

"Werebear? Now you're just being plain crazy. That makes even less sense than vampires." Scully was beginning to think that the dreary weather of the Pacific Northwest was eroding Mulder's sanity. The sooner they got back to Washington, the better.

"Scully, relax, I was just kidding. Look, we'll drive down to Forks, meet with this Chief Swan and find out everything checks out. I'll bet he's got the head of whatever animal was responsible for the disappearances here mounted on the wall, behind his desk."

(*)

Somehow, Scully highly doubted that the steelhead trout mounted on the wall, behind Chief Swan's desk, was the party responsible for the Forks disappearances. She tore her gaze away from the dusty figure, frozen in its finally struggle, to meet the sight of Chief Swan approaching to greet her and Mulder.

"Agents Mulder and Scully, nice to meet you." Chief Swan shook hands with them. "Sit down, please." He motioned toward the two chairs in front of his desk. "What can I help you with?"

"We want to know about the disappearances that occurred here during February and early March." Mulder got right down to business.

"Well, there were only two. A hiker and a tourist out at the hot springs. No bodies were ever found, but around here, that's not saying a whole lot. It isn't uncommon for a hiker to disappear every now and then, but these happened pretty close to town. It's not likely they got lost. And then it all stopped about three months ago."

"When did the animal sightings first start?"

Chief Swan rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh, the middle of January." He rifled through the stack of papers and folders on his desk. Scully grimaced; untidy desks bothered her and even working with Mulder hadn't broke her of that pet peeve yet. Chief Swan found the folder he was looking for and flipped it opened. "Yeah, the first sighting occurred on the fifteenth, one on the seventeenth and eighteenth. The first was reported by a hiker and the other occurrences were reported by some high school students. Shortly after that the first person went missing."

Scully pursed her lips together, recalling the thing that ran across the road, in front of her and Mulder. She knew it was large, fast and probably furry. But if she were to report it to local authorities, she'd be remiss as to how exactly to identify it; it could have been anything. "Chief Swan, what exactly did these witnesses report seeing?"

"Call me Charlie, please. Well, in the first reports, it was described as a bear. Large, black and heavy; a male black bear most likely. I informed the forest department and they increased patrols in the areas close to town. They never saw anything. They concluded the same thing I did, that a male black bear was roused out of hibernation by the mild weather, looking for food."

"So did the bear get close to town and raid bird feeders and garbage cans?" Mulder sounded puzzled. If a bear was out looking for food that close to town, surely somebody's garbage can would have fallen pry to a hungry bear.

Charlie didn't look so surprised. "Nope, not one overturned garbage can or raided bird feeder in the whole town. See about the same time the forest fuzz figured it was just a bear and posted warning on the trails near town, my daughter actually got a close look at the animals. Too close of a look." Charlie looked a little grim.

Scully was a little nervous now. "Animals?"

"Yeah, five to be exact. Wolves."

"Wolves?" Scully was going to tell Mulder as soon as they left that there would be absolutely no investigation in the woods here. None. Aliens and demons were one thing, real wildlife was another. A girl has to have some limits.

Charlie's reply was a little sheepish. "Yeah. She said they had to be the size of horses, but given how most of the year had gone for her, I chalked, at least that part, up to exaggeration. The wolves though, that was real. The forest department and a couple of concerned locals searched the next day and found a print, but no wolves. Granted the print was large, but still within the realms of possibility for a wolf. The forest department kept a lookout and posted new warnings for the trails and I did the same in here in town. The wife of the guy who last disappeared, was the last to have a feasible claim to have seen a wolf. A couple of people claim to see wolves still, but nothing checks out to their stories. The forest department is getting tired of me calling them."

"So there haven't been any verifiable wolf sightings since the last disappearance?" Mulder leaned forward in his chair.

"No."

"And no one has been attacked by any animals recently, aside from those presumed killed by the wolves?"

Charlie was thoughtful for a minute, thinking over Mulder's question. "No, although a young woman was attacked by a bear the other year. But that wasn't even around here."

"Really? Can we talk to this girl? And can we question your daughter as well?"

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to question my daughter. I don't know how much help she'd be, but you're more than welcome. As for the young woman, Emily Young, she lives out in La Push, the Quileute reservation. I don't see how any of this is related."

Mulder leaned forward more, a gleam of knowledge in his eyes. "You see Charlie, I think the disappearances here and in Seattle are more closely related than they seem."

Charlie leaned back into his creaky chair. "Huh."

"The more we find out about what was going on here might just help us figure out what is behind the disappearances in Seattle," Mulder continued.

"I really don't see..." Charlie's skepticism was cut short as Mulder brought home his point.

"The thing is, the same time people stopped disappearing in Forks, is the same time they started disappearing in Seattle. The only difference is, some of them are found again, burned."

Charlie looked really confused now. "You think wolves are responsible...for burning people?" Charlie eyed Mulder like the FBI agent had lost his mind. Scully glanced over at Mulder as well, thinking the same thing.

Mulder looked back at both of them with a slightly smug twist to his lips. "No, I don't think wolves are responsible. I think the wolves might just be following the group behind the murders and disappearances, kind of like they're scavenging the scrapes."

His statement hung in the ensuing silence before anyone spoke again. Scully was the first to breech the strangeness of Mulder's thinking. "Mulder, if that is the case, then why hasn't anyone seen wolves in Seattle. I'm fairly certain they would stick out more there than they do here."

"Nobody was looking for them in Seattle. That's why I want to talk to Emily Young and the chief's daughter. They are the only ones who saw the wolves. There might be something in their stories that might make all of this make sense."

Charlie frowned. "Emily was attacked by a bear, though."

"I think that was a lie."

"I've only met the girl a few times, but I don't think she'd lie about something like that. Her and her fiance, Sam Uley, are decent people, even if my daughter thought he was involved in a cult. Sam was pretty upset over Emily's attack."

Mulder's mind was working fast, forming another theory in his mind. "Was Sam with her when the bear attacked her?"

"No, I don't think so. Her cousin Leah Clearwater was nearby, but I'm not sure. Emily was taken to the hospital in Port Angeles."

"Can you give us directions to La Push?" Mulder seemed almost impatient and Scully was worried.

"Sure." Charlie found a slip of paper and began hastily writing the directions down. The door behind Mulder and Scully burst open suddenly, startling Scully.

Charlie looked up from his desk. "Yeah Mark, what do you need?"

The young deputy looked pained for a minute and began, slowly, "I just got a call for you from...Alice Cullen. She said her and her brother were taking Bella to the hospital. They think she had a panic attack."

Charlie's pen dropped on his desk, rather loudly, as he got up. Scully could have sworn he had muttered under his breath something to the effect of, "not again", and "when I get my hands on him".

He thrust the paper at Mulder as he walked out the door. "Hold off on questioning my daughter for a bit, okay? She's been through a lot. I don't want to risk her, again."

"Of course." Scully replied, remembering her own difficult high school years

Charlie nodded stiffly, "if you need me to answer any more questions, I'll probably be at the hospital or at home. Mark will give you my home number." He left without another word.

Mulder scrambled into action immediately.

  
  
  



	3. Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: SM owns everything Twilight and Chris Carter owns everything X-Files. My humble apologies for messing with their characters. My apologies to Queen for ripping off their lyrics. No profit is sought from this story.Thanks to Nayarit for guest beta-ing this chapter. You're pretty awesome;)

Just before Bella Swan's world went black, she was certain of two things. First, the flash of red hair meant Victoria was going to kill her in the parking lot of Forks High School. Secondly, her heart was going to stop before that happened.

She sucked in one last shaky breath as her vision slowly blackened. Her last conscious thought was of how much she was going to miss Edward. And Jacob. She wasn't even aware of the crowd that gathered around her battered Chevy to witness her demise, nor did she register the cold arms around her, staving off her inevitable contact with the wet pavement.

(*)

The light was very white and bright. She held up her hands to shield her eyes from it, but it persisted, stabbing her eyes with its unnecessary glow. She rolled onto her side. Hmm, she was moving so that must mean she wasn't dead. Or was this Heaven? She opened up her eyes slowly and some faces came into focus nearby. No it wasn't Heaven, it was the ER of Forks Community General.

One of the faces spoke to her.

"Hello, Bella. Glad to have you back with us." The fuzzy neurons in her brain began to function and a connection was finally made. It was Carlisle Cullen. She tried to sit up, but her head felt too heavy. Cool hands pushed her gently back into the funny sounding pillow. She concentrated her focus again to make out the other faces around her.

Behind Carlisle's shoulder was Edward, and further down the bed she could just make out Alice standing in front of Charlie. All were solemn-eyed, even though Carlisle tried to hide his concern with a confident, reassuring smile that only made it half-way up his face. Bella closed her eyes again. So Victoria hadn't killed her and she didn't die of heart failure. Now what? She really should be scared out of her mind, but some how, she couldn't care. She tried to ask a question but only managed a few mumbled words and an idiotic smile.

The faces looked more concerned than before. She sighed and closed her eyes. Bella tried hard to listen to the voices by her bed, discussing her condition. She knew what they were saying should be important to her, but she really couldn't muster enough of her brain cells at the moment to give two pinches of owl shit. She slipped back into the blissful darkness of sleep.

(*)

"Charlie, Bella's had a panic attack. I've given her Ativan to calm her down, and apparently it makes her a little groggy. That's entirely normal. I would like to keep her overnight, just in case she has another attack." Carlisle really hated lying to Charlie, but it was absolutely necessary in this case. Alice and Edward had filled him in as to what really sparked this sudden panic attack in Bella. And Charlie didn't really need to know that information.

Under normal circumstances, he would have sent Bella home as soon as the medication took effect. This panic attack did not fall under the category of normal. Carlisle was certain that the loose shreds of 'normalcy' his family clung to left the day Bella moved to Forks. Bella was much more resilient than most people gave her credit for, but everybody's got a breaking point; he was surprised something like this hadn't happened sooner. That Bella believed Victoria was behind the newborn army forming in Seattle disturbed him greatly. What disturbed him most was the fact that it was true, hence his reasoning for keeping Bella at the hospital.

"Of all the reasons Bella's been in the hospital, this one just doesn't make sense. Why on earth did she have a panic attack now?" Charlie's voice brought Carlisle back from his reverie.

"It was probably due to finals and graduation. Those are some difficult times for many teenagers, full of stress and uncertainty." _A vengeful vampire leading a ruthless vampire army hell bent on killing you would trigger a huge panic attack too._ "She'll be fine. I honestly think this was an isolated event, but that's why I'm keeping her here, just in case it wasn't. If it helps, I am here all night. I'll keep an eye on her." Carlisle smiled softly to ease Charlie's fears.

"Sure. I want to hang around just for a little bit, but I'll probably have to go back to the station in a little while. There are a couple of FBI agents asking about those missing tourists from earlier this year. I don't know, they somehow think this is all related to whatever the heck is going on in Seattle. They want to ask Bella some questions about the wolves she saw, if that's okay? I don't want it to stress her out or anything."

Carlisle's eyes held just a hint of surprise for a brief second. Alice murmured quietly about going to get some coffee for Charlie and quietly slipped away. "I don't think that will do any harm." Carlisle glanced at his watch casually. "I have a few other patients to check on, but if you need me for anything, I should be back in my office shortly. Edward, perhaps you ought to go and see if Alice needs any help with the coffee. That dispenser is prone to malfunctions."

Edward nodded silently and pressed a quick kiss on Bella's cheek. He pretended not to notice Charlie's condemning gaze. It wasn't his fault that Bella had a panic attack, not really. Lauren was to blame; she was the one who dyed her hair that hideously unflattering shade of red. But then, if Bella had never entered into his supernatural world, she would have been completely safe. Well, at least from rogue vampires trying to kill her.

His feet moved swiftly in the opposite direction from the coffee dispenser, towards Carlisle's office. They needed to discuss the family's next move. FBI agents further complicated matters. He pushed open the door to the office to find Alice there, her eyes already in a far-off stare. He searched her rapidly flashing thoughts for more information. Communication between the two of them was very easy; it really bothered his other siblings when he and Alice could converse without words.

Random pictures flashed through his head. Alice was really searching, judging by the speed at which the images flashed. Her mind wasn't honing in on any particular image and her eyebrows scrunched together in a clear sign of frustration. Edward did feel a little sorry for her frustration. He had already searched for the thoughts of the FBI agents earlier, but he couldn't detect any other law enforcement, other than the handful of officers that made up the Fork's police department.

The door clicked open and shut swiftly. Carlisle swept around his desk and sat down. He was contemplative for a few minutes, while Alice continued searching the future for the family's fate. At last, Alice's vision began to focus.

"Alice, should we be concerned?" The worry in Carlisle's voice sounded foreign. He wasn't the type to worry much.

"The FBI agents are headed to La Push, so naturally, they'll be off my radar in about two minutes. But I don't think we should worry too much about them. The wolves don't want to be outed any more than we do; they'll throw the agents off as best they can. I still haven't figured out why they're going to La Push. Edward, were you able to read Charlie's thoughts on them?"

Edward had slunk down into one of the leather armchairs in Carlisle's office. "No, I was a bit distracted and so was he. He's difficult to read, even more so when he's upset. I'll try later when we go back with his coffee. He thinks it's my fault Bella's here. He's right, you know." He slid deeper down into the chair, his eyes brooding and tormented.

Alice rolled her eyes and flopped, rather dramatically, into the chair facing Edward. "You know that's not true. Bella wants you, needs you, in her life. She wouldn't want it any other way. You know Bella just panicked when she caught sight of Lauren's hair, right after she figured out Victoria is the one creating the newborn army."

"Victoria is after Bella because of me."

"True, but Victoria has a really warped sense of revenge."

"I was thinking it was revenge in its truest form." Before Edward could regress into another sullen fit, Alice's gaze went unfocused and she gripped Carlisle's desk.

Within seconds, her eyes refocused but her hand gripped the desk so hard that it splintered. "I don't think we should really be worrying about the FBI agents right now. The army is on the move. They'll be here before graduation." Alice frowned. "This totally screws up my party plans."

Edward sighed and put his face in his hands.

"How many are part of Victoria's army?" Carlisle was standing now, pacing toward the window.

"More than our numbers. Twenty, perhaps. The number fluctuates, so I won't know for sure until they get here."

"Is it more than we can handle?" Carlisle stared out into the gray drizzle enveloping the hospital. A seemingly innocent mist that in a few days would reveal a terror never seen before in Forks.

"Yes."

He turned from the window. To his surprise, Alice had a coy smile. "What have you got planned Alice?"

"We're going enlist help." She leaned across the arm of the chair and took Edward's hand. "Come on, we have to get Charlie's coffee and you've got to make a phone call. Or I could do it." She led Edward out of the office. "I'll explain in a few minutes Carlisle."

(*)

The light was fading into a dank and dreary twilight, much like the night Janice was killed in Seattle. The failing light made Scully uneasy. This whole area made her feel uneasy. She couldn't put a finger on what made her feel so uneasy; whether it was the dreary weather; or the feeling that this case was turning into a wild goose chase, she couldn't decide.

"You're being unusually quite."

"I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

Scully doubted Mulder would be any help at dispelling the quiet apprehension rising within her. Still, maybe she should voice her growing concerns over this case, now, rather than later. "I'm not sure. Something is starting to feel really off with this case. I'm not sure what, though. Maybe it's just the weather, maybe it's the place. Whatever it is, I have this notion that we're getting into something much bigger than we both realize."

"Bigger how, Scully?"

"I wish I knew." She turned her head to stare absently in the descending mist. The faint glow of the fog lamps did little to fend off the gloom. A sign, reflecting in the mild glare of the fog lamps, caught her attention. She mouthed the words silently, overtaken by an intense bout of déjà vu.  _The Quileute tribe welcomes you to La Push._

"Scully?"

A small gasp left her lips before she could respond. This wasn't logical; in fact, this was impossible. "Doesn't anything about this feel familiar to you?"

Mulder regarded his partner with a puzzled expression. The expression softened and a sly smile spread across his lips. "Of course. We've been to a few reservations during our investigations before. What's so familiar about this one, Scully?"

She glared at his sly smile and, for once, it made her slightly irritated. "You just want me to say it, don't you? Remember Montana? And the legends?"

"I do, but just say it, Scully. Out loud."

"Shape-shifters. But it's not possible. I couldn't believe it then and I don't believe it now. A man cannot turn into an animal at will. DNA, organ size, and general behavior just don't allow for such a transformation."

"Lots of cultures share a belief of animals sharing commonalities with humans, even animals turning human. Why not here too? It's the perfect place for mythology to come to life and not be noticed. Maybe I should read up on some local legends."

"That's what I'm worried about."

(*)

Mulder brought the nondescript rental car to a stop in front of a weathered red house. The house looked like many others they had passed before stopping here. Small and worn, but with an air of warmth and safety emanating from within, like a soul.

Scully followed closely behind him as the approached the front door. Mulder readied his badge and barely brushed his knuckles against the door to knock, when the door opened abruptly. Mulder took a step back just so he could get a better look at the person answering the door. He cast a quick sideways glance at Scully, whose eyes were wide with something akin to wonderment.

"I'm Agent Mulder and this is Agent Scully. We're from the FBI." With the obligatory introductions and badge flash over, Mulder continued. "We're looking for Emily Young. Is she here?"

The tall, massive, shirtless figure standing in the door looked bewildered. He took two steps back and absently motioned for them to enter. "Dad! We've got some visitors, looking for Emily."

A squat figure entered from a room off to the left of the kitchen, an older man in a wheelchair. His figure made one assume that he was frail, but his voice was powerful. "Can I help you?"

"Sir, we are looking for Emily Young. We were given directions here by Chief Swan." Scully had her badge in hand to present to the man.

The thick, black brows of the older man furrowed. His confusion was brief. He threw his head back and laughed, a deep, hearty laugh. "I'm Billy Black and this is my son, Jacob. Sorry about that. Charlie always sends anyone looking for someone on the rez here first. Thinks they'll get lost or something."

"Or eaten by wolves, perhaps?" Mulder's off-hand comment hit a nerve. The laughter went out of the older man's eyes. What ever warmth and safety the exterior of the house had shown evaporated as well.

"You never know what's in the woods around here." Menacing tension filled the air for a brief second before the old man continued. "Follow the main road for a quarter of a mile, there's a road that veers off to the left, take that road. Be careful; it gets dark before you know it around here."

Before anyone could move, the telephone rang, piercing the heavy silence. The tall man-boy reached for the tiny, trilling object. "Hello?" Jacob wrinkled his nose, as if he disliked whomever was on the opposite end of the line. But he listened silently. "They're here now, looking for Emily." The boy's voice was barely a whisper. "I'll be right there." His expression darkened at whatever was being said on the other line. Jacob slammed the phone down hard.

"What's wrong, Jake?"

"Bella's in the hospital. I've got to go." Jacob grabbed a t-shirt draped over the back of a worn kitchen chair. He pulled it on and the thin cotton stretched to its limits to encompass his thick muscles. Jacob pushed past the two agents and out the door without another word to anyone.

In his wake, there was a warm breeze that Scully immediately noticed. The air outside was much cooler now than it was when they first arrived in Forks, and yet, this massive young man was wearing just a t-shirt. She waited for the roar of an engine or even the crunching of gravel from outside, but there was only silence. These few facts stuck out to her as being very odd. She glanced up at Mulder. "Perhaps we'd better be going. Thanks for your help, Mr. Black." She pulled at Mulder's coat sleeve to get him to move.

Billy nodded at them grimly. "I wouldn't stay here after dark if I were you."

Scully shivered and hauled Mulder out the door before he could ask any more questions.

Once outside, Mulder pulled his sleeve out of Scully's death grip. "What the hell was that all about, Scully?"

"Didn't you find it odd that Jacob went out without a coat? It's freezing out, even if it is near the end of May. I didn't hear a vehicle leave after he went outside and it's a long walk to the hospital in Forks."

"He's a teenage boy, Scully. They do strange things all the time. He probably went to a neighbor's to get a ride. Come on. Let's find Emily and get back to Forks." He opened the driver's side door and got in. Scully pulled her trench coat closer to ward of the chilly air and got in on the passenger's side.

"So did you do _strange_ things when you were a teenager too?" Scully cast her partner a brief sideways glance.

"Do you even need to ask?" Mulder smiled widely.

No, she didn't need to ask, but she was curious about his younger years; the years before he became engrossed in conspiracy theories. Or maybe he was always like that.

"No, I guess I don't." She returned his smile.

"You just want to know how often I ran around without a shirt showing off my buff muscles when I was a teenager. I saw you checking him out. Don't deny it."

Scully let out a soft laugh. Mulder might be handsome, but his physique, even in his younger days, couldn't begin to compare with the teenage boy that greeted them at the door. "Mulder, he's a teenage boy. I was just struck by the fact that he _is_ a teenager in the body of somebody who's about twenty-five. Probably just has an excellent gene pool."

The headlights of the car fell on a faded gray house with brilliant blue flower boxes and a group of shirtless teenaged boys. Tall, muscular, shirtless teenaged boys. The light laughter fell away from Scully's lips, and Mulder's face grew grim and intense again. He brought the car to an abrupt stop.

"Maybe Chief Swan's daughter was right about a cult. A steroid fueled cult."


	4. Deep Into That Darkness Peering

The group seemed unfazed by the glare from the headlights. They stared into the car with a measured and contemplative gaze that only slightly hindered Mulder. "Still think those muscles come from an excellent gene pool, Scully?" He looked at her as he reached for the door latch.

"Yes, it is a possibility. Unless they happen to run a training camp for nightclub bouncers or professional baseball players, I don't think steroids have anything to do with it." Somehow, the tone of her voice failed to convince Mulder. In fact, she sounded almost intimidated by the group of somewhat unfriendly looking boys. That was something different for Scully. Reluctant, sure, but never intimidated. He opened the car door and got out, keeping one hand near his gun.

As Mulder moved around to the front of the car, one of the boys, looking older than the rest, separated from the group and moved toward Mulder. Mulder cast a wary glance to his partner, still in the car, but ready to back him up if he needed it. The young man stopped a few feet away from Mulder, headlights shining off the man's muscles.

"Can I help you?" Scully clearly heard the authoritative, gravelly voice above the idling car engine. She shivered at the controlled power the young man's voice held. She reached over to the ignition, hesitating about turning the key. She really should leave the car run, in case Mulder's cockiness didn't go over well with this crowd. She twisted the key to the off position, hoping it wasn't a mistake. Without the glaring headlights, she saw Mulder and the young man more distinctly.

Mulder flashed his badge. "I'm Agent Mulder, FBI. I'm looking for Emily Young. Is this her residence?" The was a note of irritation in his voice.

Silence.

The young man had crossed his arms across his broad chest. His face was stony, but seemed to be weighing out a response. At last, he nodded. "Yes, she lives here. I'm her fiance, Sam Uley." The man called Sam relaxed his figure enough to seem wary and not hostile. "She's inside." Sam gestured toward the faded door.

For once in his life, Mulder was unsure of what to make of a situation. This Sam Uley, for all appearances, acted like a temperamental guard dog. Mulder had expected this man to put up some sort of fight over Emily Young and instead, he was invited, though somewhat tersely, inside without so much as a, 'What do you want?' or a, 'It's none of your business'.

Mulder managed a faint smile. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Uley." Mulder looked back to the car, where Scully was watching the conversation with wide eyes. He jerked his head toward the door of the house, implying that Scully should follow him in for this interview. Sam had taken a step away, back in the direction of the others, as Mulder moved to the door.

Scully exited from the car hastily, giving the pack of men a wide berth, following Mulder into the house. She felt their watchful gazes on her back and it made her steps falter for half an instant. Scully snuck a quick, assessing glance at the men. They weren't as similar looking as they first appeared. Sure, they all had well defined muscles, but most wouldn't pass for gym-obsessed bodybuilders. Some were on the slighter side of massive, looking as if the muscle definition they gained had come from hard work, not pumping iron. With her discerning doctor's eye, she noted that none of them had the tell-tale acne that often accompanied steroid abuse. Even with the faint light filtering from the house windows, the acne would have been obvious on at least some of them. With this new fact, Scully felt not relief, but more contradiction and confusion. She gathered that these men were in fact boys, teenaged boys, like the one she and Mulder met earlier that evening at the Black residence. They all appeared to be much older and more physically mature than any teenager should. Without steroids a teenage boy should have some zits, but all she could see was smooth, coppery skin.

The way they watched her was unnerving.

It wasn't like the uncomfortable glares she often encountered from men trying to undress her with their eyes. No, it wasn't like that at all. Her mind wanted to liken the feeling to being watched by an animal, but that didn't seem right either. Their gazes weren't hungry or fearful. It was curious, interested. Rather like the look some dogs gave their owners during a training session.

Dogs. Shape-shifters. Wolves. Teenage boys who looked about twenty-five or thirty. Dana Scully felt herself beginning to believe without the benefit of good, solid evidence, just for a moment.

"Scully?"

"Yes, Mulder?" Scully pulled her thoughts out of speculation and into the present task of interviewing Emily Young.

Mulder held the door open for his partner, looking concerned. Scully wasn't one to get lost in her thoughts often. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I was just thinking." She refocused her eyes, away from the group, not allowing herself to give into her ideas anymore.

"About what?"

"Nothing that matters." She pushed passed Mulder into the warm, yellow light of a tiny kitchen. A woman was removing something from the aged oven; her back was turned away from the door and the woman was apparently oblivious to the voices in her front yard. Scully sniffed deeply, inhaling a scent reminiscent of the banana bread her grandmother used to make for her and her sister. The memory brought a momentary prick of tears to the back of her eyes.

"Emily Young? I'm Agent Mulder and this is my partner, Agent Scully. We're from the FBI. We want to ask you some questions about your accident." Mulder had stepped toward the middle part of the kitchen, near the uncharacteristically large table for such a small space. The woman turned toward him slightly, unfazed by Mulder's introduction. She returned to the oven, shutting the door and resting a loaf pan, next to three others, on a wire rack.

"Have a seat. Would you like something to eat or drink?" The woman, Emily, busied herself at the sink, her shiny black hair curtaining her face.

"No, thank you though." Mulder smiled, immediately fascinated by Emily's display of domesticity. Scully resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Both agents settled into the cozy comfort of the kitchen, waiting for Emily.

Scully turned in her seat to look over her shoulder and out the window. Sam was having a conversation with the group outside. Scully saw his lips moving but heard not even the slightest hint of a muffled whisper. Strange. With a final nod, Sam dismissed the group. He moved toward the front door, while the others vanished into the deepening shadows of the night. She turned back when she heard the water running in the sink shutting off.

"So what do you want to know?" Emily faced the two agents, her arms crossed loosely across her chest as she leaned against the sink. She waited for their inevitable reactions to her face. She was used to it by now, but it still hurt to see the pity in people's faces. "And why do you want to know about it. My accident isn't recent news, even around here." Emily's voice wasn't angry or suspicious, just mildly curious.

Mulder was about to speak, but Scully cut him off. "Miss Young, we were sent to investigate some murders and disappearances in Seattle. While there, we discovered similar disappearances had occurred here, in the Forks area, just a few months ago, just before they started happening in Seattle. We believe that both the Forks and Seattle disappearances are connected somehow, even though the Forks incidents were attributed to an animal. We were wondering if these animal attacks were in some way related to yours. Can you tell us exactly what happened?"

Emily's eyes widened slightly with some unreadable emotion, but returned to a neutral gaze. She hesitated for a moment, trying to find a good place to start. "I don't remember much. My grandparents lived along the Wa'atch River. When they died, they left their home, a cabin really, to my parents. We used it for camping. It was September and I was at the cabin with my cousin, Leah Clearwater. We were hiking along the river and I guess I got too close to a bear feeding on the salmon. She got help and I was taken to the hospital in Port Angeles. That's all I remember."

Scully noticed a slight hesitation in Emily's voice at nearly the same time Mulder noticed Sam entered the room.

"Was there anyone else with you and Leah?" Scully scrutinized Emily's reaction, waiting for any hint that there might be an untruth to the story. She had been sure Mulder's theory that Emily was lying about the attack was bogus, but now she wasn't so sure.

Emily looked up and across the room, where her gaze locked with Sam's. "Leah's boyfriend was there."

"Oh, and who was that?"

"Sam Uley." Emily's voice was flat, like she would rather have lied than told the truth.

Scully's mouth went dry. She couldn't think of anything else to say, but she began speculating that maybe this wasn't an animal attack after all. She moved in her seat to observe Sam more clearly. His eyes were still focused on his fiancée, dark brown and intense. Scully felt the magnetic attraction between the two. It made her uncomfortable, that depth of devotion she read in Sam's eyes and felt in the air around her.

Glancing quickly at Mulder, Scully could tell he was having a similar reaction to this puzzling couple. The strange energy in the room made her lose focus. She nodded at Mulder to continue the questioning.

After a moment, Mulder continued. "Are you sure it was a bear that attacked you and not someone or something else?"

Emily nodded. "I remember the fur, so it wasn't a person. I assumed it was a bear since it was bigger than me. There aren't many animals that get bigger than a human."

Mulder nodded thoughtfully. "Did your cousin see this bear too? I'm assuming she was close by."

"Actually, she wasn't all that close. I had rounded a bend in the trail and we weren't visible to each other. She was close enough to hear the attack, but not close enough to stop it. She found me soon after the bear left."

As far as Mulder could tell, Emily was truthful about the incident. What he couldn't tell was how Sam Uley fit into this picture. How did this guy go from being with Leah and then end up with her cousin? Was this old news, like the bear attack, or something more recent?

"Where was Sam when this happened?" Mulder put the question out there, hoping either Sam himself or Emily would answer.

"Back at the cabin." Emily's voice went flat and toneless again.

Mulder studied her face carefully. She didn't appear to be lying; her body language was placid. Sam's body language was anything but serene. His shoulders curled inward in physical pain. Mulder thought that was odd. Did Sam blame himself for letting Emily get attacked since he stayed behind at the cabin? Did he think it was his fault; that if he were with the girls, this wouldn't have happened?

Before Mulder could phrase the thought out loud in a question, Sam had crossed the small room and gathered Emily in his arms.

"It's all my fault," Sam murmured into Emily's hair. He pulled her close, as if she was going to vanish before his eyes.

Emily lifted her head from his shoulder after several moments. She looked deep into Sam's eyes with that same intense emotion Sam's held earlier. "It's not your fault. It couldn't be helped." She stressed the last sentence, while clasping her hands against Sam's face.

"I know. It still hurts though." Sam leaned forward and kissed Emily tenderly on the forehead.

A wave of intense emotion hit Mulder, observing the powerful bond between Emily and Sam. He pieced together how their relationship developed. It was clear, really. Sam obviously felt guilty for placing those two girls in danger by not accompanying them on the hike. He made up for that guilt by supporting Emily through her recovery period, which by the looks of it, was quite a substantial period. Sam's atonement for this guilt led to something more than simple support. It was entirely plausible, but there was still something off about the story.

"Do you think it's possible that we could talk to Leah Clearwater?" Mulder didn't feel sorry for interrupting Emily and Sam's moment. He should have, but he didn't.

Sam answered without looking at Mulder. "She's not around. She's with family, out of town."

The tone in which Sam spoke, made it very clear to Mulder that they weren't going to get any answers from Leah. He felt a little deflated. He _knew_ that the events in Forks were related to the events in Seattle. He was just grasping at straws for proof.

"I think that's all the questions we have for you now." Mulder made a move to get up and leave.

Scully motioned for him to stop. "Actually, I do have one more question and then we'll leave. Do you remember which doctor first treated you, Emily?"

"Dr. Gerundy. He fills in up at the Port Angeles ER when they're short staffed. Most of the time, he's at Forks General."

"Thank you. We'll be on our way." Scully led the way to the door, Mulder following behind her. The couple in the kitchen never broke from their embrace as the FBI agents left.

(*)

Silence filled the rental car. Mulder was frustrated and Scully was thoughtful, but neither one wanted to voice their thoughts. By now, darkness had descended fully on the Olympic Peninsula. The moon was valiantly breaking through the thin spots in the passing clouds, occasionally lighting the dark world with silver. The road wound close to the cliffs that dropped down to the ocean, down into a deeper darkness.

"I might have been wrong, Scully." Mulder broke the silence at last.

His frank statement took Scully by surprise; it wasn't often that Mulder admitted he was wrong. Even more ironic, Scully didn't think he was wrong at all. "Really? Why do you think that?"

"It was pretty clear back there that Emily wasn't lying. It was a bear attack, nothing more. It's completely unrelated to the attacks that happened earlier this year and what's happening in Seattle now."

"I think that's where you might just be wrong, Mulder. Didn't you think it was odd that Sam went from dating one girl to the other?"

"Well, yeah, it was odd. I can see how it happened, though. Sam felt like it was his fault that Emily got attacked and so to make up for it, both to her and to himself, he helps her through the recovery. They develop a close bond because of this unfortunate accident."

Scully looked at Mulder for a moment. She choked back the urge to laugh. "I never thought I'd see the day." Her voice trailed off in wonderment.

"What?"

"Fox Mulder, hopeless romantic."

Mulder rolled his eyes. "Then how else can you explain that connection that they had? It was so intense you could feel it in the air."

"That I can't explain. Some people are lucky enough to have a deep connection with someone else, others aren't. I'll bet if we could talk to this Leah Clearwater, that lovely picture you just painted would look a hell of a lot different."

"You're thinking this accident was an attack of jealously, aren't you?"

"And that's exactly why you are going to drive us to Forks General Hospital. I want to talk to Dr. Gerundy about Emily's wounds."

"You don't think they are from an animal?"

"The scars suggest that the injuries were inflicted by an animal, but I want to make sure. Maybe Dr. Gerundy can even tell what type of animal did the damage."

"I like how you think." Mulder smiled at his partner, as the car interior filled with a brief glow of silver from the moonlight.

"Thank you. You know, Emily thought it was a bear that attacked her, but she can't be certain. It is possible that it was a wolf, one like the police chief's daughter saw."

"And I thought I'd never see that day."

"What?"

"Dana Scully, believer."

Scully pressed her lips together into an agitated line. "I didn't say that I believed any of that nonsense about werewolves or shape-shifters."

"But you were thinking about it. Admit it."

Scully rolled her eyes and turned to look out at the darkness through the passenger side window.

"Do you think you'll find it?"

Scully tore her gaze away from the black scenery passing by to look at her partner. "Find what, Mulder?"

"A relationship like Sam and Emily's. A guy who looks at you like your the only woman on earth."

"I don't know. I think I'd like to."

(*)

"You didn't have to lie, Emily."

"I didn't lie, Sam. I told them what I remembered, not what other people told me about that day. It was the truth. I thought you were back at the cabin. I had no idea you had gotten ahead of us on the trail. They never asked about what happened before the accident. And that's what it was, an accident. You never meant to overhear my argument with Leah, even if it was about you. It was ugly. I said some things that I never should have said about Leah, about you, that day. I called her crazy for hanging on to a two-timing freak and she called me a man stealing whore. I rounded the curve on the trail just as you phased. I didn't know that at the time. All I saw was fur."

Sam pulled Emily tight to his chest again. "I'll never forgive myself for what I did to you and to Leah."

Emily pushed away from Sam's broad chest enough to look into his eyes. "Enough. It is in the past. It can't be changed now. Just be glad those FBI agents didn't catch on to what's really going on here."

"I don't know about that. Those two were different somehow." Sam released Emily and kissed her quickly. "I have to go and check in with the pack. I love you."

"I love you too."

(*)

The lobby of Forks Community General was vacant when Mulder and Scully arrived. It was after nine o'clock, so it wasn't surprising. The receptionist would have left hours ago and visiting hours ended a half an hour before they got there.

"The ER usually has someone at the admissions desk that can page Dr. Gerundy for us." Scully paused in front of the directory. "This way, Mulder." She pointed to a corridor off to her right.

The sound of their shoes on the linoleum was the only noise as they made their way to the ER admissions. The corridor jutted off to the left abruptly. It seemed to Mulder more of a labyrinth than a hospital hallway.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to have gone in through the ER entrance rather than the general entrance?"

"I suppose, but we're here now."

"See, this is why I drive."

Scully stopped and glared at him. "I remember plenty of times you've gotten us lost, so I don't want to hear it. It's just a hospital."

"You never know what lurks in the dark corners though."

Scully ignored him and went around the next corner, finding herself face to necktie with a handsome doctor. She took a step back and apologized.

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"No harm done. Can I help you? You seem lost." He smiled and extended his hand. "I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen."

"I'm Agent Dana Scully with the FBI. I was looking for the ER, but maybe you can help us. We're looking for a Dr. Gerundy. Is he here now?"

Dr. Cullen didn't look surprised when Scully introduced herself as an FBI agent. He probably was used to law enforcement agents appearing every once in a while in the hospital.

"No, I think his shift ended earlier today. He'll be back in tomorrow morning. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Are you familiar with animal wounds?" Scully couldn't help but stare at Dr. Cullen. He was the handsomest doctor she had seen in a long time. The color of his eyes was very striking against the paleness of his skin. Scully never recalled seeing anyone with quite that shade of amber eyes before; it was really beautiful and disarming.

"I've seen a few cases." Few was an understatement. Carlisle had seen three hundred; that was one incident for nearly every year of his existence.

"That's good. Would you know the difference between a wolf attack and a bear attack?"

Carlisle pondered his response for a moment. "At first glance no. With many large predatory mammals, wounds at first look identical. There's deep punctures, lacerations, and occasionally crushed bones. The only definitive way to tell what animal caused the injury is by the depth and shape of some of the wounds. Unfortunately, the only way a doctor can get that information most times is through an autopsy." He stopped for a minute and regarded Scully carefully. "I can see that this is nothing new to you."

Scully smiled, flattered. "I've done my fair share of autopsies. But our victim survived and no one saw for certain, what animal did the damage."

"A fellow doctor. It's a pleasure to meet you. I think I have some medical journals in my office that might be of some help. Follow me please."

She stepped aside to let Dr. Cullen pass and followed him back down the winding corridor. Scully went a few steps, before she realized Mulder wasn't following them.

"Are you coming Mulder?"

"Yeah, sure." He followed after them, distantly. There was something about the pale doctor that was wrong. Dr. Cullen's well-meaning smile made Mulder feel ill at ease.

Dr. Cullen's office was on the first floor and the walk wasn't far. Unlike the other parts of the hospital that Mulder and Scully had been in, this wing wasn't vacant. As they passed a small waiting room, Mulder notice two teenagers looking at him through the doorway. The girl, with pale skin and spiky black hair, noticed him first. Her golden eyes went wide and her face looked surprised. The boy, who hadn't bothered to comb his odd mop of neither blond nor brown hair, just scowled. Mulder could gather, just in passing, this must be this boy's perpetual countenance. Both had extremely pale skin, but maybe this was a waiting room for those awaiting treatment for some weird, chronic blood disorder. Scully never noticed them. She was too busy conversing with the handsome doctor. _He's probably some child prodigy. He's too young to be a real doctor,_ Mulder thought sourly. He moved on, trailing into the office after Scully.

Inside the doctor's well-furnished office, Mulder feigned interest in the discussion that Scully was having with Dr. Cullen. All he needed to know was it a bear or wolf that attacked Emily. Surely, it didn't take that long to figure out.

To keep himself from looking too disinterested, Mulder mentally reviewed the facts of the case. He needed to figure out if it was a wolf that attacked Emily, then he could link her accident to the Forks disappearances and wolf sightings. As far as linking the cases here back to Seattle, he needed to find hard evidence.

A trill from Scully's cell phone interrupted his thoughts and their conversation. Excusing herself, Scully answered it.

"Hello? That's good. Can you email me the report? Thank you." She returned her phone to her coat pocket and resumed her conversation with Dr. Cullen like there wasn't an interruption.

"Now," Dr. Cullen continued, pointing to some photos in an old looking medical journal, "bears have five claws and wolves only have four. The depth of the gouges the claws make would depend on the bear. Grizzly bears have much larger claws than black bears, thus making deeper lacerations."

The doctor's words sparked interest in Mulder. He was fairly certain there were four ragged red lines on Emily's face, two long and two shorter ones.

Scully arrived at the same conclusion too. "That's very interesting Dr. Cullen. Thank you so much for your time."

They left the office heading toward the main lobby where they entered earlier.

"Wait, Scully. Isn't the police chief's daughter in the hospital?"

"I think she is Mulder. Why?"

"She might be able to verify the wolves. She might have something to add."

"True. I forgot about interviewing her. I want to look at this lab report first, then we'll look for her."

(*)

"I've never see anything like it. I've gotten blurry images before, like with the wolves, but that's like looking through window condensation. This was very different Edward. Remember when we had to rely on an antenna for television reception? That was awful. The picture was always staticky and it rolled. Seeing those two's futures was like that. I'd only get a flash of a clear picture a few times. What I did see was certainly interesting. Do you really think they are FBI agents?"

Alice rambled on, making it difficult for Edward to follow. Even with his acute hearing, it was often hard to follow Alice's excited pace. He heard, rather than saw, the static Alice described. Normally Edward was capable of reading Alice's thoughts as well as others passing by, but when the two agents passed by with Carlisle, he could only hear their thoughts. He was completely shut off from Alice and Carlisle. The agents' minds were on a different frequency, that much was certain. All Edward could hear was the static of a poorly tuned in radio station,high pitched and squealing, with occasional breaks of clarity.

"I think they are, Alice. There is something very different about them though. We'd better go talk to Carlisle after they leave. I don't know what they want and we've already got enough to deal with, now that the wolves are joining the fight with us."

The two vampires stilled; Alice, contemplative, and Edward, brooding. They listened to the conversation down the hall in Carlisle's office, waiting.

(*)

"I've never seen anything like this before." Scully sank down into a chair in the lobby, staring blankly at the email on her phone.

"What is it, Scully? Good or bad news?"

"Good news and bad, I suppose. We know what was used as an accelerant in the burned bodies in Seattle. That's the good news. The bad news is: I never heard of such a solution existing before. The lab found traces of digestive enzymes and elements of a hemotoxic venom."

"Like snake venom? Why is that bad news?"

"It's bad because there are also traces of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can be used to neutralize some toxins."

"So that fact the they exist together is contradictory?"

"Yes. It shouldn't exist, but it's right here in the report." She handed her phone over to Mulder.

Mulder studied the report, trying to take in the information. True to Scully's words, there was a list of enzymes, hemotoxins and formaldehyde. The list also contained several unknown traces.

"Formaldehyde would be the actual accelerant. It is flammable, right?"

"Yes."

"So somebody out there is draining bodies and injecting them with a weird mix of formaldehyde and something like snake venom?"

Scully sighed. "Apparently. I just wish I knew who. Or what."

 

 


	5. I Know the Secrets That You Keep, Talking In Your Sleep

"Shit." Alice didn't need to say any more. Her vision transported immediately to Edward's thoughts. He was gone even before her eyes refocused on the forged diplomas and certificates hanging on the wall in Carlisle's office.

Carlisle didn't say anything about Edward's hasty exit. He was thoughtfully examining a patient chart, waiting for Alice's explanation.

Alice drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She looked impossibly tiny in the leather wing chair. "Sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean to swear."

"No need to apologize, Alice. You'll always be forgiven." Carlisle couldn't help but smile. Alice was a treasure. Even without her talent, Alice gave so much to his family. She was the energy, the free spirit that made eternity seem like a blessing, not a curse.

Alice inhaled a deep, unnecessary breath and let it out slowly. "There's just so many people around clouding my vision, I couldn't see Bella until Jacob left. Those FBI agents scramble my images even more. I think Edward is with Bella now; I can't tell for sure. I hope he got there in time."

Carlisle looked up from his chart. "In time?"

"Yeah, Bella talks in her sleep."

"Would she give us away?"

"No, she wouldn't. To most people it would just sound like nonsense, but..."

"But what, Alice?"

"I don't think those FBI agents are most people."

"What makes you think that? They seemed perfectly normal to me."

"I can't see them clearly. It's not like the wolves, Carlisle. This is very different, almost like an electrical interference or some odd atmospheric disturbance. Edward can't hear them clearly either. If I didn't hear their hearts beating, I might have thought they were one of us and gifted in some way. It's very fascinating. I have to know what it is that makes them different. You never know, they might be very useful in this Victoria mess."

Carlisle leaned back in his chair. Now that Alice mentioned it, there was something different about the agents. He'd have to meet with them again to be certain.

(*)

Scully looked doubtfully at the elevator doors, hoping the elevator stopped at the right floor and wasn't stuck instead. Slowly the doors rumbled open, revealing the pristine beige and white of another hospital hallway.

"Taking the stairs on the way back down?" Mulder stepped out of the elevator before Scully.

"Absolutely. I think I can handle a couple of flights of stairs. I'm not that tired."

"Aww, Scully. Where's your sense of fun? It's not like we'd be stuck for long. I'd get us out."

Scully pressed her lips together. She couldn't imagine getting stuck in an elevator with Mulder. "Maybe some other time. I'd rather talk to Chief Swan's daughter and find a motel so I can get some sleep."

Mulder grinned and they made their way down the nearly silent corridor toward a desolate looking nurses' station.

(*)

Victoria grinned wickedly at Bella, wild flame colored hair lashing out from her sparkling face. Behind her, a dark mass obliterated the landscape. Her army. They came to destroy everything Bella had ever cared about. The army halted, lingering like a shadow of death, waiting for the command. With barely a flick of her wrist, Victoria gave that command.

Bella awoke with a scream.

With a choking gasp, Bella sat up in the bed. It was just a dream, for now. She felt dizzy; she concentrated on slowing her breathing. She must have fallen asleep while Jake was here. He was probably in Carlisle's office, discussing the impending battle. It made her sick to think that the Pack was involved in this mess too. All because of her. If only she could be the one to save them all from this approaching disaster. Sacrifice herself like she had tried to do in Phoenix, like she would have done if it stopped Jake from turning into a werewolf.

There was a slight noise from the doorway and a flash of reddish hair. Bella's chance had come. This time she wasn't scared. She wasn't going to panic. She'd make a deal with Victoria to end this once and for all.

"Isabella Swan?"

Bella wasn't sure if she should laugh or faint from relief. This woman was definitely not Victoria. She let out a shaky sigh. "Yeah, that's me. Just Bella, though."

The woman in the doorway looked uncertain. "Are you okay? We," indicating the man behind her, "heard a scream." She stepped closer to Bella's bed.

"I'm fine. It was just a nightmare. It was nothing."

"It sounded like something." The man in the dark coat seemed unconvinced by her thin truth. "You looked scared to death."

So much for trying to fool Victoria into thinking she was brave and self-sacrificing; she couldn't even fool complete strangers. It wasn't a total lie. It was a nightmare but it was something, something terrible. "The medicine they gave me made me loopy. I didn't know where I was for a minute. Uh, can I help you with something?"

Before they could respond, Edward appeared in the doorway. He slipped behind the man and woman, making his way to Bella's bed. He wrapped his arms around Bella protectively, ignoring her company.

"Sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, love. Another nightmare?"

Bella nodded. Her face was pressed too tightly against Edward's chest to talk.

"It was just a dream. Nothing to be frightened of." Edward smoothed her hair soothingly.

Scully cleared her throat. The scene before her was a little overdone. After Sam and Emily earlier this evening, this was a bit over the top. "We're sorry to intrude, but we came to ask you some questions about the wolves that you saw in March."

Edward pulled away from Bella, hurt and guilt evident on his face. "That happened awhile ago. You don't have to..."

"Have to answer them, Edward? There's nothing to tell really."

"You don't even know what they want or who they are."

Mulder moved closer to the bedside, carefully observing the reactions of both Edward and Bella. "Forgive my overzealous partner. We're from the FBI, agents Mulder and Scully. We have reason to believe that the animals that you saw back in March, may have some relationship to the crimes occurring in Seattle." Just as Mulder guessed, the bronze-haired boy gave no reaction besides a minimal tightening in the jawline. The girl was decidedly conflicted, hovering somewhere between denial and admission of truth, when her face finally settled into a blank expression.

"If you think it might help." As Bella gave her decision, Edward's hand shot out to grip hers, a silent plea of sorts that went disregarded. "I was out hiking, alone, and stopped when I came to a meadow. A few minutes after I got there, the wolves came into the clearing. I left when they gave chase to a deer on the other side of the meadow. See? It really isn't all that helpful."

"How many were there?"

"Five."

"You're positive?"

"Fairly certain."

"Was this particular pack of wolves as large as you stated to your father?"

"Let's just say, I wasn't in a good place emotionally and grossly exaggerated their size." There was a firm set to Bella's mouth that told Mulder he shouldn't press that issue. Edward looked as if he was being tortured, a knife to his heart.

"Okay. Did the wolves appear to be more aggressive than normal?"

Bella's wide brown eyes scanned Mulder's face. Surely this question was some joke? She looked at Edward before she ventured an answer. His beautiful face was grimly set in a way that reminded her of when Jane inflicted mind pain on him in Volterra. "I, uh, wouldn't really know. I don't spend a lot of time bonding with wildlife."

Edward snorted, only audible to her ears. She frowned at him, brows scrunched close together and continued, "Seriously, I wouldn't know. It was just my dumb luck that they happened to cross my path." Huge understatement.

Something about Bella's story seemed highly unlikely to Scully. Teenage girls don't just happen to stumble onto a pack of wolves hunting, nor do wolves encounter girls while stalking prey. It was like some weird Little Red Riding Hood story and there was some part missing. A part that the boy holding Bella's hand wanted left out.

Edward turned his face toward Scully then and she noticed the same odd shade of eye color she observed earlier in Dr. Cullen.

"Are you by any chance related to Dr. Cullen?"

Edward's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He had trained his focus on the man since he was asking the questions, just hoping for a break in the static. The female agent's voice startled him. "Yes and no. He's my adopted father and the only father I've known. We're not related by blood."

"Oh, I would have thought you were his younger brother. He seems very young to have a family, adopted or otherwise."

"He and my adopted mother, Esme, married very young. She was already legal guardian to her niece and nephew, Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They adopted Emmett, Alice and myself soon after Esme discovered she was infertile. We're very fortunate to have them in our lives." The tale fell effortlessly from Edward's lips. The key to making this lie work was to answer the questions before the questions were voiced. The more you gave, the more heart rendering the story, the less people pushed for answers.

Edward's voice eased the troubling, difficult questions that bubbled up in Scully's mind. The quality of his voice made it hard to imagine the story was coming from a teenaged boy; he sounded much older, more sophisticated and cultured. Still, to Scully there was something off about the story. She just couldn't figure out exactly what.

Mulder, however, was not as easily placated. He saw this boy before with who was apparently his sister. At first, he believed the tale presented by the sweet mouthed teen. This sister he was with earlier, looked similar to the boy. Mulder thought it was very strange, the two appeared so similar and yet obviously weren't related. He felt that Edward probably would have mentioned if he was directly related to anyone else in his adoptive family. He clearly stated that other family members were of some relation.

Bella shifted in bed. She was sleepy again. Maybe Edward would stay until she fell asleep, like Jake had done. She reached out to touch Edward's right hand with hers.

From that small movement, Mulder noticed something very different about Isabella Swan. There was a mark on her right wrist. It was impossibly pale, paler than the rest of her milk colored skin. It appeared to shimmer ever so slightly in the light. Was it some sort of tattoo? Before Mulder could inspect it closer, Edward covered the mark with his hand. The split second before the mark left Mulder's view, he noticed the mark was exactly the same color as Edward's skin. The mark was no tattoo, that much was obvious.

"Do you have any more questions for Bella? She's tired and she has finals tomorrow." Edward tried not to let curtness into his voice, but these FBI agents drove him crazy. He couldn't hear their thoughts and the static from their minds made his head hurt. He didn't care for the probing questions either, nor the way the man was studying him and Bella.

"Do you have anymore questions, Scully? I don't."

"Who's Victoria? You screamed her name just before we got here."

Bella froze. She should have known she was talking during her nightmare. She always did. Bella couldn't answer right away, so she tried her best to look blank and confused.

"Victoria is someone we attend high school with. She's not Bella's best friend, to say the least. You know how high school is." Edward jumped in flawlessly, steering the agents away from any more questions. "Is Forks in any danger from these goings-on in Seattle?"

Mulder glanced in Scully's direction before he answered, just as smoothly as Edward had previously. "We can't say for sure. Precaution is wise. We'll be in touch with Bella's father if anything happens to indicate otherwise. Scully." Mulder turned toward the door. Scully followed after him.

(*)

"Did you ever dream about the mean girls you went to high school with?"

Scully paused at the bottom of the steps. "No, I can't say I ever did, but high school's a lot different now, I'm sure. Why do you ask?"

"I just didn't buy that part of the story. That boy, Edward, seemed pretty sly if you ask me. Actually, I didn't buy into a lot of their story. Especially, the adoption story." Mulder walked away toward the exit.

Scully caught up to his long strides. "Why didn't you believe it?"

"Earlier, when we were heading to Dr. Cullen's office, I saw Edward and another girl, his sister apparently, with the same amber eyes. I don't know, they seem like they could be blood related but I'm guessing they're not. He would have mentioned he was related by blood to another of his adopted siblings. He did for the others. It's just really bizarre."

"It is. Edward has the same color eyes as Dr. Cullen, exactly the same. The genetics behind eye color is very complicated. Theoretically,it is possible for two unrelated persons to have the same exact eye color. More than two, living under the same roof and unrelated, I'd speculate you'd have better chances winning the lottery than have an adopted family with the same unusual eye color. But we are assuming that the rest of the family also have amber eyes. We know three are related somehow, but we don't know anything else about them. They might have blue eyes for all we know."

"It's more than just that, Scully. They're really pale, but not in a normal way."

"True, but it's not very sunny here either. And I'm sure Dr. Cullen doesn't get away from his job much. Lack of sunlight does some odd things to the human body Maybe they have a rare medical condition."

Mulder stopped and looked hard at Scully. "Are you saying that Dr. Cullen purposefully adopted children with a specific medical condition?"

Scully sighed. "He doesn't seem like the type to do something like that, but maybe he suffers from this disease too and wants to provide the best quality of life he can for these kids."

"Or for experiments," Mulder add wryly.

"No, I'm not saying that at all. He didn't strike me as the mad scientist type. His intent could be quite benign. We can't say for sure. We don't have proof of anything, just speculation." Scully didn't want to think badly of Carlisle Cullen, but doubt welled up within her.

"Everybody has a secret, Scully. Don't let yourself be fooled by a pretty face."

(*)

"Do you have any numbers? How many are we up against?" The excitement in Jacob's voice took Carlisle by surprise. He hadn't expected the boy to jump into the fray with such enthusiasm. Looking at Jacob across the polished expanse of the mahogany desk, he saw the eagerness in the tall teenager.

"We aren't sure." Carlisle spread his hands out on the desk, a nearly hopeless gesture.

"Why's that?"

Alice answered Jacob's question softly, speaking as if she was a miles away from the office, even though she sat huddled on the floor, head resting on her knees. "It's the nature of the newborns. They fight among themselves and kill the weaker ones off. They add new ones to regain their numbers. They aren't always successful. Right now the number is around twenty, but it can change in less than a split second. Newborn vampires lack control. I'm sure you can understand."

Jacob grunted tersely. "You're the one who sees the future right?"

Alice nodded. She remained on the office floor, distancing herself from Jacob. His nearness clouded her future sight, plus werewolves, in general, didn't smell pleasant. "The thing is, my sight is dependent on choices. Nothing is certain."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Just tell me what you see."

"Two outcomes are most prevalent. One is very clear and one has some...blind spots. The one that isn't perfect, shows the town intact and us surviving." She paused, not wanting to give voice to the second, startling clear vision. She hid that one from Edward all evening. "The second one shows some of us missing." Alice closed her eyes, refusing to say anymore. She tried not to focus on this disturbing image. She hadn't even told Carlisle the specifics.

"So what are the blind spots all about?"

"They're you and the rest of the Pack."

"That's good, right?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. "For us, it is."

Jacob let out his breath slowly, almost contemplatively.

At that, Carlisle rose from his chair and paced toward the window. There was no clear way to assure the wolves would survive. Carlisle gazed out of his office window at the watery reflection cast by the parking lot lights on the wet pavement outside. He turned away from his visitor to hide his displeasure. This coming battle went against his very beliefs, but this conflict couldn't be solved with reasoning and diplomacy. Much as he hated violent conflict, his family was in grave danger. This coalition was the only way to ensure his family's survival.

"You're certain Sam will agree to assist us, even though there are great risks?"

"Absolutely sure, but I'll still ask. He's the Alpha, not me. I do know that protecting people is part of _our_ heritage, so sitting back is kinda out of the question." Jacob sat back in the chair, trying to keep the accusatory look off his face. _If the Cullens had permitted us to help them when they came back, we could've had this bitch_ _ **before**_ _she started her damned army. If they had just stayed away in the first place, we would have had her for sure. And Bella would be safe J_ acob rubbed his shoe against the empty chair opposite him. He really hated shoes now; they were so confining. He looked up when he sensed Carlisle's amber gaze settle on him.

"You're the one who should be Alpha, Jacob."

Jake shook his head wearily. "No. Sam phased first. He's Alpha. Since I've phased, me choosing not to be the Alpha is the only choice I _can_ make about this life. I'm sure you understand."

The bitter twinge in Jacob's voice was not lost on Carlisle. Choosing to hunt animals and not humans, was one of the few choices he could make about his existence since he became immortal, against his will. Carlisle understood perfectly.

"I should get going. Is there anything else I need to relay to Sam?" Jacob stood and stifled a yawn.

"Whatever Sam decides, have him meet with me at the treaty line in the morning."

"Sure, sure."

(*)

It must have been well after midnight. Mulder wasn't sure what time it was when he started his informal research, but his eyes felt gritty and grainy by the time he was done. He should be tired. He should call it a night, get some sleep. He knew he wouldn't, not yet anyway. His research yielded some surprising results and he wanted to share those with Scully. He put down the laptop and left his motel room, hoping for the odd chance his partner would still be awake. A light was shining from the neighboring room, so he knocked on the door.

After a few minutes, just as Mulder was turning to head back to his room, the door opened. Scully had been sleeping. Her hair was messy and she was wrapped tightly in a bathrobe. Mulder felt a little guilty about waking her, but a small part of him wasn't all that sorry. She looked so different like this. Normally, Scully was so put-together and professional. Like this, half awake and in a bathrobe, she was natural and oblivious to her beauty. He liked it.

"Sorry. I saw your light was on and I thought you were still up. I can tell you in the morning."

"I'm awake now,you might as well tell me why you're still up. I fell asleep with the light on."

Mulder looked at her questioningly. "I've never known you to do that."

"After the last time we were here on the Olympic Peninsula you expect me to sleep without the light on?"

"I guess not. I just did some research and I think you'll find it surprising." He motioned toward his door and Scully pulled her's shut.

Once inside his room, he flipped open the laptop, showing Scully the website he found. She sat down on the bed and scanned the screen while Mulder waited.

"Is this even legitimate? I'm not so sure Mulder."

"It appears that it's from a member of the Quileute tribe."

"But it's just a legend about people who happen to shape shift into wolves."

"To protect their land from vampires."

Scully frowned. "It doesn't come out and say _vampire_. Are you even sure that's what it means when the term _Cold One_ is used? It could just mean that they were wearing fur, implying that they were cold."

Mulder leaned over and hit the back button on the web browser. "This website seems to think it means vampire." As he leaned back to allow Scully to peruse the new website, Mulder saw a strip of deep purple peeking out of her robe. It looked like satin. He wondered if it was a nightie or pajamas. He was hoping for nightie.

Scully sighed, breaking Mulder's current train of thought. "You know as well as I do, that half of the stuff on the internet is either totally faked or ripped off. How do you know this is fact?"

"Because we have proof."

It finally happened; Mulder had lost it. He was completely crazy. "What proof?"

"The proof is right there in the lab report that you got earlier. The proof is the wolf sightings, the burned, drained bodies back in Seattle, the 'family' of pale, amber-eyed, unrelated people. It's all you've ever asked for; it's proof."

"It doesn't prove anything, Mulder." Scully put the laptop down on the bed between them. "It's just a string of ironic coincidences, and completely unsubstantiated evidence. It's a legend, a story told around a campfire." She got up, her robe slipping farther down her shoulder, exposing more purple satin.

"Legends often have _some_ truth to them. What does it take for you to make a leap of faith, Scully? Just believe. I know you believe in something you can't always prove. Why is this so different?" Mulder pointed to the tiny gold cross hanging around her neck. Her hand touched the symbol lightly. _Now_ he noticed the expanse of purple.

Scully dropped her hand, noticing Mulder's odd stare. She pulled her robe back up her shoulder. "I honestly don't know."

"Don't write off the legends just yet. We might just find something that you'll have to believe. Just think about it, okay?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I changed my mind about the story direction half a dozen times and screwed with my outline. With this chapter I have realized something, I have made this story a little more AU than I originally intended. For simplicity, I am following the time line found at Twilight Lexicon, rather than burning my own brain cells further to come up with my own. It should be during this time frame that Bella breaks her hand punching Jake. But because I have hospitalized her with a panic attack, she's not in La Push. Thus no broken hand. Oh well.  
> The chapter title is taken from a song of the same name by The Romantics. Just take a look at the lyrics. It is a Bella song for sure.


	6. Into The Twilight Zone

"Are you sure you don't want to take my car?" Jasper leaned through the open window of Alice's yellow Porsche. "It would blend in a little better."

Alice eyed the nondescript, dark colored Ford five spaces away from her car. She knew the type of 'business' Jasper conducted often required him to have a forgettable car, but still he could have owned a second car like Edward. She turned up her nose. "No, I'll stay with mine. Besides, I'm sure they're used to being followed by normal cars. No one ever gets tailed in a Porsche."

"You do have a point there, my dear." Jasper smiled and bent to kiss Alice just as the door of a motel room opened. The scent of its occupant distracted Jasper. He straightened, inhaling the unfamiliar scent. He kept his back turned away from the man. "You're right. He is different. Something has tainted his blood. I can smell it. His record doesn't elaborate on what happened to him in Russia. Whatever happened, it happened during that lapse. I'm sure the woman is the same. There's an unexplained lapse in her record as well."

"Did I ever tell you what a sweetheart you are for hacking into the FBI personnel records for me?" Alice leaned out her window, smiling wickedly up at her husband.

"It was my pleasure. I should do it more often. It was quite entertaining." Jasper kissed his wife passionately, breaking away a few moments later, sure the agent saw everything. He pulled back slightly from Alice when her gaze became clouded.

"Hurry. There isn't much time. Victoria is on the move and you need to instruct the wolves." Alice grasped Jasper's hand tightly.

"I'm on my way. Don't worry, it's all going to work out." Jasper slipped his hand from Alice's and moved the few spaces away to his waiting car . As he passed by Agent Mulder, the door to Agent Scully's room opened. Discreetly, he inhaled her scent as he had with Mulder's earlier. Jasper smelled a foreign tang, something out of place, coursing through her bloodstream. There was a faint hint of various medications lingering still in her blood. He felt sorry for her. There was no reason for her illness. It was given to her like she was some kind of lab animal. She was well now, only because it suited someone's agenda.

Jasper smiled, careful not expose his teeth more than necessary. He nodded a greeting to them in passing. "Morning. Ma'am." He winked at Alice as he got in his car and left. Alice blew him a kiss and turned away, pretending to preen in her rear view mirror.

The agents were buying into her and Jasper's little ruse. She fluffed her hair for effect and rooted through a clutch for lipstick, listening all the while.

Scully watched the departing car, somewhat dumbstruck. "What is it with this place?"

Mulder grinned at his awed partner. "Why do you ask?" He knew the answer; he just couldn't resist teasing Scully a little.

"There's an inordinate amount of attractive males living in this area. You didn't notice?"

"No, I didn't. Why would I notice a thing like that?"

"What was that all about, anyway?"

"Looked like the morning after a midnight encounter with Dr. Cullen's adopted daughter to me." Mulder motioned toward the flashy yellow car and the pale girl inside checking her hair in the rear view mirror.

"How do you know that's Dr. Cullen's daughter?"

"That's the one I saw with Edward last night."

"I could have sworn the man who passed us was a Cullen too."

"Why?"

"His face was rather pale."

"Well staying up all night can do that to you."

Scully just shook her head at the suggestive hint in Mulder's voice. She wasn't even going to dignify that with a response. "So what are we doing today? Trying to stop a pack of cold-blooded killers? Or trying to prove your legends are real?"

"Ouch." He wasn't really offended by his partner's sharp comment, but it still stung a little. He wanted Scully just to let her guard down, for a little while at least.

"Sorry."

"We should check in with Seattle, see if there are any new cases first."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I think if we can get Bella Swan away from the Cullen kid, she might provide something of interest."

"You really think so? I didn't buy into her distorted version of Red Riding Hood, but I don't think she has all the answers we need. What she saw has no connection to Seattle."

"I think she knows more than she lets on. I want to know how she got that mark on her wrist."

"What mark? I didn't see anything last night."

"I did, before Edward dearest covered it. At first, it looked like any old scar until Edward moved his hand to cover it. That mark had the same color and quality of his skin."

"It was probably a trick of the light."

"Maybe, but I want to see it again to be sure."

"Okay, if you think it might help. Edward said she had finals today, maybe we can catch her on the way out of the hospital. It's early enough yet. I can drop you off on the way to the police station."

"Let's go before she get ahead of us." Mulder moved to the passenger's side of their rental car. Before getting in, he looked over at the girl in the yellow Porsche. The girl was still primping in her mirror applying lipstick, its color making her skin appear even paler. She must have had quite a night.

As soon as the car drove out of sight, Alice licked the artificial color from her lips, contemplating. The lipstick dissolved instantly with the venom from her tongue. How far should she let the agents get before shutting them down? She could call Carlisle and have him interfere with Mulder's plans. She also needed to stop by to check if any new cases were reported. Sure being nearly omniscient was great and all that, but she was far from perfect. She was wrong in the past. There was no room for mistakes this time, nor for random guesses. Alice was certain Victoria was on the move, but her army was divided, making it difficult to track all the jumbled futures. This mess was beginning to piss Alice off royally. She couldn't wait to send Victoria into a well planned trap and tear the bitch's head off herself.

She started her car, choosing to follow the woman. She really hated that they decided to split. It made her life more difficult. Since she couldn't see the agents' futures directly, she had to rely on the people near them, so at least she could tap into Bella and Charlie's near future. Alice scanned their futures quickly. It was just as well that she had chosen to follow the woman. Charlie's future showed something more interesting.

(*)

Just a short time after Scully dropped Mulder off at the entrance to Forks Community General, she was aware of a car tailing her. A yellow Porsche, to be exact. It couldn't be tailing her. What would Dr. Cullen's daughter want with her? Scully stepped on the gas a little harder but the car behind her neither retreated nor got closer. Of course, it was pointless to outrun a Porsche in a rental car. Maybe the girl wasn't following her. She must be on her way to school. It wasn't like Forks had many main roads, so it was more than likely that the road that went by the hospital and the police station also went right by the school. Scully eased her foot off of the gas, comforted by her rational explanation for being followed. In a town that had as many main roads as there were Lone Gunmen, it would be practically impossible for someone  _not_  to be following you.

When Scully passed by the entrance to the high school, the yellow car did not disappear. An inexplicable cold sweat dampened her palms as she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She exhaled loudly to calm her jumpy nerves. Scully couldn't figure out why she was so suddenly on edge. She was imagining the tension that filled the damp world around her. There was no logical explanation for this feeling other than that. Scully glanced in the rear view mirror. The car was gone. How was that possible? She didn't notice any other side roads besides the one that led to the school. There wasn't time to contemplate where the Porsche and its driver had gone; the police station was ahead on the right.

(*)

"Charlie? Line one's for you. It's Seattle."

Chief Swan sunk back down into his ancient desk chair, running a hand over his face briefly before picking up the phone. "Uh, thanks Mark." Charlie was pretty sure that wasn't the best word choice. The news on the other end of the line surely wasn't good and would keep him from picking up Bella from the hospital. He picked up the receiver, holding it like it was laced with lethal poison and punched the blinking button.

"Yeah, Chief Swan here." He held his breath.

"I'm Jimmy Adams from the SPD. Chief Boyle told me to call you with an update so you can relay it to the FBI agents there. I'm guessing they're still in town. We haven't heard from them or the Seattle office yet."

Charlie pulled the mouth piece away from his mouth so the officer on the other end of the line couldn't hear the exasperated sigh. "I guess so. No one's checked in here yet." He glanced at the clock; it read nearly seven-thirty. He hadn't been home since this time yesterday morning. A throat clearing on the other end of the line made him forget his sleepless night. "Go ahead, what do you have?" Charlie shuffled the scattered papers on the desk, finding a relatively blank piece and took a pen out of his shirt pocket.

"We haven't got anything new here in the city, not a damn thing, but..."

Charlie nearly groaned at that pregnant _but_. There always had to be a but.

"...some other towns across the Sound have reported similar incidents. People vanishing in seconds, a couple of burnt bodies."

"What towns?"

"Port Ludlow and the Bremerton area."

Why couldn't all the craziness stay in Seattle? Not that those towns were all that close to Forks, but they were close enough to make Charlie nervous. He already spent enough extra hours at the station out of concern when all the murders took place in Seattle. "Does anyone know what is going on?"

It took several seconds before the voice on the other end of the line answered. "No clue, absolutely no clue. Everyone's at a loss. If you happen to see those FBI agents, maybe they'll have some answers. Apparently these two deal with _special_ cases like this or that's what the Seattle bureau office claims."

"What do you mean by _special_?"

"Cases that defy explanation."

That didn't sound all too promising to Charlie. "Do they have any success rate?"

"Guess so. Otherwise they'd be out of a job. Anyway just call us if you need electronic copies of the new cases. We have them here so you don't have to contact the other stations." Jimmy sincerely hoped Chief Swan wouldn't call back, the less paperwork the better. He was tired of making copies, sending emails and creating PDFs.

"Yeah, sure thing. Thanks." Charlie nearly choked on his last words as he hung up the phone. He sure as hell hoped this _problem_ was resolved soon, before it ended up on his doorstep. Maybe Bella would like to see her mother in Jacksonville after graduation.

He got up to study the large map of Olympic Peninsula hanging on the wall in his office. There were a couple of green push pins marking the general area where people had disappeared around Forks a couple of months ago. To the east, there were a number of red push pins stabbed through the paper, marking locations of the other victims in Seattle. He contemplated placing new markers but he wasn't ready to admit this shit was coming too close to home.

Movement in the main office caught his attention. Charlie walked to his door and saw Mark talking to the female FBI agent. She looked different than she did yesterday. He'd say she looked down right distracted today. He wondered what caused the change. Jet lag? Her partner? Yeah it was probably that. It was probably against FBI protocol for partners to become involved intimately, but Forks was a long way from DC. And maybe that wasn't the case at all; she looked like the type that played by the rules. She also looked like the type that would be worth the trouble caused by bending those rules.

"Chief Swan?" She was standing a few feet in front of him, blue eyes staring up at him.

Charlie gulped, feeling a faint flush creep up his neck. "What can I do for you?" His ears were burning now; his comment only served to intensify his blush.

Scully ignored the blushing police chief. She was used to this reaction from men. It bothered her sometimes but not today. Today she needed answers so the case could be solved. "Any news from Seattle?"

"Some. Come inside." He motioned her into his office, eyes carefully cast downward. He paused before a map stuck with pins. How many maps like this had she seen before? More than she cared to count.

Chief Swan lingered in front of the map, thumbing over the push pins stuck in the map's legend. "There's good news and bad." He drew in a long tired breath before pulling out a red pin and relocating it. "The good news: there are no new cases in Seattle." He pulled another red pin out of the legend and stabbed it into the map. "The bad news: there have been more victims on the other side of Sound. Port Ludlow and Bremerton. I just got off the phone with Seattle. They can send over digital copies of the police reports they have from the other jurisdictions, if you need them."

"That would be great. Can you have it sent to me directly? I don't know where we are headed next." Scully scanned the messy desk and found a stack of sticky notes. She wrote down her email address and handed it Charlie.

"Sure thing."

Scully studied the map and the new locations, brow furrowed in concentration. The new cases were moving away from Seattle. That much was pretty obvious, but the reason why wasn't clear at all. There was some distance between the two locations. That uneasy feeling was creeping up on her again. "Does this make any sense to you?"

"Not really. I always thought serial killers stayed in populated areas and wouldn't move into less populated areas. It does look like it's two groups though. It also looks like they are headed this way, whoever they are."

"But why? Is there anything significant about this area? A landmark or something similar"

"Nothing but trees, rivers and mountains."

"So if it's not a place they're looking for, then they're after someone. But who?"

Before Charlie could respond, Alice popped in through the doorway bearing a container of coffee. She feigned surprise at Agent Scully's presence. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt but I was just dropping by on my way to school. Carlisle is driving Bella to school. I hope you don't mind. We figured you'd be busy here at the station." She was bubbling on at a fast rate, just coherent enough that Charlie and the agent could understand her. It was a handy vampire tactic to have. The faster you talked the more distracting the conversation became.

Alice ducked back through the doorway. "Oh gee, I almost forgot. I got this for you from Divinity's, the coffee shop you like down the street. I just know how much you'd need a good strong dose of caffeine this morning." She thrust the cup toward him.

Charlie accepted the cup with an eager grin. "Thanks Alice. You're such a sweet girl."

Alice returned his smile. "Aw Charlie, don't you know flattery gets you everywhere. Bye." She flitted out of the police station, full of new information. She reached for her phone to call Carlisle.

Scully stared after the effervescent girl, not sure quite what to make her.

Charlie noticed the bewildered look on Agent Scully's face. "Sorry about that." He took a sip of coffee. "Alice is Alice. She's kinda one of those free spirits."

"So I noticed. She's one of Dr. Cullen's adopted children, right?"

"Yep." He took another sip of coffee, savoring the warmth. "How'd you guess?"

"My partner and I met with Dr. Cullen last night and we also met his son, Edward." Scully saw Chief Swan's face darken very noticeably at the mention of Edward's name. "He's your daughter's boyfriend?"

The angry flush took on a purple tinge that disturbed Scully. Her medical training feared the man in front of her was on the verge of a stroke. Chief Swan's mouth worked, forming soundless words before letting out a beaten sigh instead.

"Yeah, he is, against my better judgment. Wished he'd stayed in Italy or wherever the hell it was he ran off to." Charlie took in a deep breath in attempt to drain the color from his face. "I might not like him but my daughter seems to think he's a good guy. She's eighteen; there's not much I can say anymore."

Scully was surprised Chief Swan disliked Edward so much. Of course, she strongly suspected that Edward was just a little too perfect to be good. There must have been some incident that made Chief Swan react so negatively to his daughter's relationship with this boy, something about Italy. When she was younger, her father made it clear what his opinion of her boyfriends were. Perhaps that was the case here; just a father's opinion on any boy dating _his_ daughter.

"Do you think you'll be in town long?"

The tentative question startled Scully. "I really don't know," she replied absently, turning back to the map on the wall.

"Uhmm, would you... uh, like to get coffee with me sometime? Before you leave town, I mean."

Scully turned back from the map, stunned. Chief Swan's face was cherry red. He was clearly embarrassed. She didn't have the heart to reject him outright. "We have to solve the case first and we, my partner and I, don't often have much time after a case wraps up. The FBI is a stickler for reports and accounts."

Chief Swan's face looked slightly more relaxed. "So it's a maybe then?"

"Sure." It was turning out to be an odd day. "I should go check in with my partner. Have a nice day." Scully walked briskly out of the station and to the car. Chief Swan's offer only added to the unreal, unnerving quality of the day. Maybe it really was the weather.

(*)

A girl in a yellow Porsche laughed, glad she hadn't altered her earlier vision. Who knew Charlie had a thing for red heads. She really should introduce him to Tanya.

(*)

Mulder glanced at the watch on his wrist. So far this day had, quite frankly, sucked. He didn't have much of a chance to talk to Bella Swan. She walked out of the hospital around twenty after seven, alone. So far so good, but talking to Miss Swan was like trying to walk through a brick wall. Her face rarely betrayed what she was thinking. Her eyes however, expressed far more than the girl would ever say. If only she'd look up once in a while.

After a few neutral questions, Mulder was just about to mention the scar. That's when Dr. Cullen appeared out of thin air like Prince Charming in a suit offering to drive Bella to school. She accepted the offer with more emotion than he had seen from her all morning, even meeting Dr. Cullen's eyes.

That had happened nearly half an hour ago. He had started walking in the direction of the police station fifteen minutes ago when Scully failed to show up at the hospital. Not that he minded the walk, but it looked like it was about to rain. That was it. He was not investigating any more cases in maritime climates. He walked a little faster.

Then it did rain.

Just as he was about to curse his luck, a car pulled over next to the sidewalk. The window went down and a familiar voice met his ears.

"Need a ride?"

He didn't even answer. He opened the door and got in before the rain got heavier. "What took you so long?"

"There's been more bodies but not in Seattle. I should get the digital copies of the reports shortly. How did it go with Bella?"

Mulder groaned and rubbed over his face with his hands.

"Apparently, you didn't get what you were after."

"Not even close. To make matters worse, Dr. Cullen showed up at the same moment I was going to ask about the scar. I mean, what the hell is up with that ? He was just there. I didn't even hear him behind me."

"If it helps any his daughter followed me, oh and the police chief asked me out for coffee."

Mulder looked at his partner. "How does that always happen to you? That's twice in as many months." He shook his head.

"If I remember right, you've had your fair share of women ogling after you," Scully replied coldly with an arched eyebrow. "Does the name Bambi ring any bells?"

"Yeah and I was soon forgotten for the robot bug inventor. So we're even," he added reluctantly.

"Sure. Fine. Whatever." Scully moved the gearshift out of park.

"It's not like you'd go out with him anyway."

"And how the hell do you know that, Mulder? I might go out with him."

He grinned at his partner's scowling face. "You wouldn't. I know you too well."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

Scully was flustered. "Whatever Mulder." She was using anger to hide the fact that Mulder's knowledge about her was almost always spot on. "Where to next?"

"How about breakfast?" He made it sound like a peace offering.

(*)

Jasper paced in front of the group of Quileute teenagers, hands clasped behind his back, inspecting them carefully. They didn't resemble the vampire fighting creatures they truly were with most of them clad only in cut off jeans and shirtless. Sure they looked tough to humans but not to vampires. He'd rather have more vampires fighting against the army. They had to be enough. They would be enough. He'd make sure of it.

"We have intelligence that Victoria has divided her army; one approaching from the east and one looping up from the southeast, possibly through the town." He paused for the collective groans and the wave of their anger that hit him. He shook it off, sending out a wave that calmed their heart rates and breathing. "We think this is to distract us, to divide us, but Victoria hasn't told all of her newborns about you."

"Baby vampires?" someone shouted out.

"Not in the way you're thinking of babies. They are very strong. Stronger, faster and thirstier than older vampires. Human blood is very distracting for a newborn."

"So what you're saying is if one of these groups gets too close to town, they're going to have lunch?" It was their leader, their Alpha, Sam speaking now.

"More than likely. Although humans would provide enough distraction for us to kill them..."

Someone made a growling sound. "We _can't_ let them get into Forks."

"No, of course not, that's why you'll stop them and drive them toward the other group. Or kill them and join us later. Whichever is more convenient. But first you have to learn to defend against a newborn attack. That's why I'm here."

"Who died and made you general?" This time the comment came from a slightly shorter, bulkier teen, Quil.

Jasper growled. Behind him, Emmett laughed. Through his chuckles he managed to talk. "Dude, it's Major Whitlock. Get it right."

"Uhmm, so Major Whitlock, how exactly do we surprise a bunch of newborns? Won't they be able to smell us?" Jacob, Bella's friend, separated himself the rest of his pack mates, standing a few feet from Jasper. "And what about Bella?"

Jasper pondered the question for several seconds, forming detailed tactics in his mind. He'd have to run it by Alice later, just to be sure it would work. "The army won't be able to distinguish your scent from other wolves or dogs. At least this part of the army won't. We have reason to believe that Victoria will be traveling in the group arriving from the east. Without her knowledge of you, this group will be blind. But I must warn you, this blindness is only temporary, you must act quickly." Jasper knelt down and drew his tactical map in mud by the road. Jacob, and now Sam, leaned over him, looking at the map.

"This x is Forks and this is where you all should be stationed, to the south and east of town, about five miles from the limits." Jasper drew a series of horizontal lines, indicating the position he expected the wolves to take. "If you form a right angle around the group quickly, you'll block them from the town. Encircle them, take them down and burn the pieces. Move on to join us."

Sam studied the plan. Jasper was right; they must move quickly. They just needed to know how to handle the newborn vampires. He was about to suggest they move on to the practice round when Jacob, his Beta, interrupted his train of thought.

"So how do we keep Bella safe from all of this?"

"I have an idea, but first I have to instruct you. We haven't got a lot of time. I'll tell you later." Jasper called out to Emmett. "Are you ready?"

"Always, don't have to ask me twice. Rose and Esme are waiting in the meadow."

"Good."

Carlisle arrived just as the group of unlikely allies was leaving for the meadow. He hurried to catch up with his sons. "Sorry, there was an unexpected problem. I had to drive Bella to school."

"The FBI agents?" Jasper was sure they wouldn't give up on their case, but it was very odd how quickly they connected Forks to the problems in Seattle.

"Yes. I don't think they'll be a problem but keep an eye on them all the same."

Emmett and Jasper nodded. The family couldn't risk somebody stumbling into the truth at a time like this, let alone someone from a government agency. That would surely bring down the wrath of the Volturi in no time and Bella's life would be in jeopardy yet again.

(*)

The crowd in the diner had thinned, leaving two old men at the counter leisurely shooting the shit over coffee and two distracted FBI agents sharing a corner booth. Of course nobody knew they were FBI agents, although the waitress tried her best to figure out what brought them to Forks. You couldn't be too careful about strangers in a small town. Strangers usually meant trouble and with what was happening in Seattle, you couldn't help but be suspicious.

Mulder felt their waitress' wary gaze on his back. What was it about small towns that made everybody either tight-lipped and distant or going out of the way to be involved? He took a sip of coffee, watching Scully over the rim.

She was pushing around a pile of scrambled eggs on her plate, engrossed by something and it wasn't her food. It worried Mulder that she hadn't eaten much. She had just beaten cancer; she needed to eat well. He put down his mug.

"What's wrong Scully?"

She dropped her fork and looked up at him, carefully avoiding his eyes. "Nothing. I'm," and then she met his eyes. He had heard, 'I'm fine' from her too much of late, at times when that phrase was lie. She trusted Mulder. But why did she have trouble admitting it to him when something was wrong? Was she trying to appear strong, for his sake?

"It just feels like something is waiting to happen. It probably isn't anything more than the weather. Don't worry about it." She knew telling Mulder not to worry was pointless, but it made her feel better.

He let the subject drop, for now. "So what did you find out this morning, aside from Chief Swan's obvious crush on you?"

"There were incidents of burned bodies and disappearances in the towns of Port Ludlow and Bremerton. Both of those towns are west of Seattle, across the Puget Sound. That and Chief Swan really dislikes Edward Cullen but not his sister, Alice. For whatever reason that might be, he didn't elaborate."

"How many people are missing or dead?"

"I don't know for sure. I'll know more when the reports come in." Scully gave up on what was left of her breakfast with a small sigh. "So what shall we do until I get the reports?"

"I was thinking we should hang out at the high school. Maybe we can find out the reason why Chief Swan hates Edward Cullen." Mulder grinned when he saw that quizzical eyebrow rise to challenge his question. He knew that whatever was troubling Scully wasn't all that serious.

"You're kidding, right? Two adults in dark trench coats hanging out in front of a school? Seriously, Mulder."

"Geez, Scully I didn't mean we're going to hang out by the front entrance. We'll stake out the parking lot until we find the right person to talk to about Bella Swan and Edward Cullen."

"And how do we know who the 'right person' is?"

"Trust me."

Scully looked at her partner dubiously. Much as she wanted to disagree with his idea, she didn't have any other ideas to suggest in its place. Until she got the copies of the police reports from Port Ludlow and Bremerton, there weren't any other good options. She hoped the reports got in soon. Spending the rest of the morning in a high school parking lot, waiting, sounded awful.


	7. Whole Lot of Maybes

Staring at Forks High School through a rain dotted windshield had a mind-numbing effect on Scully. The only thing keeping her sane was Mulder turning on the car every fifteen minutes to use the wipers. The brick building gained clarity for a few seconds before the raindrops blurred it back into a fuzzy outline again. She looked at her watch. They had only been in the parking lot for an hour and a half. Reaching in her coat pocket for her phone, she checked it again, making sure she hadn't missed the emailed reports. Still nothing.

Mulder absently drummed his fingers along the steering wheel. He didn't mind waiting. In fact, he was consumed in thought, trying to make the pieces click into place. "What's here that they want?" He didn't realize her spoke aloud until Scully answered him.

"According to Chief Swan, there's nothing here but, 'trees, rivers and mountains'."

The mention of Chief Swan's name roused Mulder fully from his thoughts. "I didn't know you were so well acquainted with Forks' finest to quote him. I might have to change my bet and say you will go out with him."

"Shut up, Mulder. You didn't make a bet. You made an observation. Leave it at that." The phone, still in Scully's hand, buzzed loudly. It was about time. She scanned over the reports. They were just the same as those from Seattle. Three burnt bodies and one missing person, were documented in Bremerton and one badly burnt body, along with a equally charred boat, from Port Ludlow. Nothing struck her as odd, until she looked at maps of the locations again. She hadn't realized it earlier in Chief Swan's office, but the most direct way to get to these places from Seattle was by ferry. There were land routes but those passed through many other towns before arriving at these specific locations. If these killers were in fact traveling in a group, why did they choose these particular towns and not others they passed through first?

The ferry theory held for Bremerton, since it had a direct line from Seattle. However, it didn't hold up so well for Port Ludlow. There wasn't a direct ferry line to it from Seattle or any other town across the Puget Sound. The closest ferry connection was in Kingston and it connected to Edmonds, a city about twenty miles north of Seattle. From Kingston, the best way to get to Port Ludlow was by the Hood Canal Bridge and traveling north. It seemed ridiculous for a group to travel so far out of the way just to kill some random person.

She panned the map out to get a better view of the surrounding areas and noticed Forks was in a nearly direct line with Port Ludlow, with no other towns in between, just a broad expanse of mountains and forest. The uneasy feeling was back and firmly entrenched itself in her nervous system.

"Mulder, I think I'm grasping at straws right now. This case makes no sense." She handed him her phone, showing the map. "This would make more sense if both towns were easily accessible by ferries. If you pan the map out, you'll see that Port Ludlow is directly east of Forks. You can draw a line straight across the map and connect the two. I want to say this is significant but I can't. There's nothing here anyone would want. If it is a group of serial killers, killing for the sake of killing, why are they moving away from an area that is highly populated?"

"Because they aren't after a thing or a place. They're after a person."

"That makes even less sense, Mulder. Okay, let's say you're assumption is correct..."

"Aren't they usually?"

Scully made a noise deep in her throat and continued. "If it is a person they want in this area, then why start killing in Seattle?"

"Maybe it's escalation or maybe it's a distraction."

"Escalation? It can't be that. The reports are identical to those from Seattle. Besides, you couldn't commit anything much more violent than injecting a body with some unknown toxin, draining it of blood and then setting it on fire."

"They haven't tried dismemberment yet."

"Do you seriously think this group or groups are escalating?"

"No."

"So what about the murders as a distraction?"

Mulder was thoughtful for a moment, absently working his lower lip with his teeth. "It's a possibility, yes, but I don't think it fits either."

"Why do you think that?"

"For one, the murders draw too much attention; they're not low-key affairs. Usually crimes used to cover other crimes are petty in nature, vandalism and things like that. So either they intend to distract from a bigger, more serious crime or it's not a distraction at all."

Scully grabbed her phone back from Mulder, remembering something she saw on the map. "Wait, it could be a distraction to a much larger crime. Bremerton has a Navy shipyard. Perhaps they intend it as a target."

"Except for the fact this group has brought hosts of law enforcement and Federal agents into the nearby area. Not to mention they've soiled their territory. If that is the intention, their attempt will fail miserably. I think they're after somebody, like you said earlier."

"And we're back to a bunch of maybe theories. Nothing makes sense."

"Not to us, yet. I'm willing to bet this makes incredible sense to someone, maybe even to someone we've met."

They fell into silence, punctuated only by the occasional squeak from the windshield wipers.

(*)

By noon, the rain had stopped and Mulder found the person he was looking for.

"Are you sure she's the one?" Scully looked doubtfully at the petite brunette exiting the school.

"Absolutely. Her mouth hasn't closed since she stepped outside." With that, Mulder slipped out of the car to intercept the girl before she left. Scully followed close behind, still uncertain this random girl could provide any useful information at all.

The girl slowed as she approached Mulder, waving off her companion. "I'll see you later. Hey Mike, call me later okay? I have to do a run through for my speech."

Once the blond boy agreed and moved away, Mulder began to introduce himself. "I'm Agent Mulder..."

"From the FBI, right? This is so awesome. My mom heard the FBI was in town from Deputy Mark yesterday afternoon in the bank. This must be your partner? Hi, I'm Jessica Stanley." She offered her hand first to Scully and then Mulder. Her personality was as bouncy as her curly hair.

"Very nice to meet you, Miss Stanley." Scully accepted the handshake, all the while eying Mulder skeptically. He sure knew how to pick them.

"So what do you want to talk to me about? It must be something super important. Nobody's going to believe me when I tell them I was talking to real FBI agents. Are you like recruiting or something? I knew being valedictorian would get me some attention. Oh my god, my hair must look awful. I knew I should have used that anti-humidity stuff on my hair this morning."

Scully took a step back, pressing her lips firmly together to keep a giggle in check. She didn't want to be a part of this interview; being an observer in this case was more entertaining.

"Actually, we," Mulder looked over at Scully, who gestured for him to continue without her and then neatly clasped her hands behind her back. "I was wondering if you knew Bella Swan and Edward Cullen."

"I know _everybody_. What do you want to know?"

"Anything you could tell us."

Jessica took a deep breath and started. "The Cullens moved here almost three years ago, from Alaska or someplace. Oh my gosh, there have _never_ been so many hot looking people in this school before they got here, I mean like _never_. There were five of them, three graduated last year. They were nice and all, but they kept to themselves a lot. And they were _together_ , like the _dating together_. Which is really gross. I mean, sure they're adopted and all, but isn't it like semi-illegal to date your adopted siblings? I know I wouldn't dream of it. Well anyway, the only one who wasn't _with_ someone was Edward. Apparently, the girls here weren't good enough for him. He even ignored _Lauren_. Nobody ignores Lauren. Then Bella showed up, just a little over a year ago and things changed. They had eye sex _all the time_."

"Eye sex?"

"Yeah. You know, like this." She turned away from Mulder to a greasy looking boy walking by and gave him a series of intense, suggestive gazes. The poor boy stopped in his tracks, stunned and bewildered. Jessica turned away swiftly when the boy mimicked her glances. "Something like that. I would've thought you'd know about eye sex. _Everybody_ knows about that. Yuck! Now Yorkie thinks I'm into him. Just my luck."

Mulder shrugged helplessly. Scully bit back a snicker.

"Okay, so where was I? Oh yeah. Anyway, their relationship had some issues, to say the least. Shortly after they became official, they must have gotten into a fight because next we heard, Bella was back in Phoenix, were she used to live. She came back with Edward and his family a couple days later with a broken leg."

"A broken leg?"

"She fell down the stairs in a hotel and went through a window. Or was it a mirror? Whatever. Bella Swan is a huge klutz. She's downright deadly. Then last fall, Cullen dumped her when his family moved away. She _totally_ lost it. She was like a zombie. It was seriously weird. She got a little better when she started hanging out with a kid from the rez. I never caught his name. Then she ran off to get Edward back. Like took her passport and everything. No one gets that serious about running away. Money sure, but never _passports_."

Part of this story sounded familiar to Scully. "Do you remember where she went?"

Jessica's face scrunched up in thought. "I thought the Cullens had moved to LA, but I'm pretty sure she went to Italy or so the rumor has it. Anyway, she took him right back, like nothing ever happened. I mean, seriously, I would have made him beg, _in public, on his knees_ , before I would have taken him back. The whole family came back too, well, except for the ones away at college."

Jessica's narrative was interrupted by the loud thrumming of a motorcycle engine. All heads turned in the direction of the noise. The boy Mulder and Scully met briefly the night before at the Blacks' was aboard, cruising smoothly through the crowd of seniors still lingering in the parking lot. He had a shirt on this time but it was stretched so tightly across his chest, it left little to the imagination. A sort of awe spread over the remaining students and they drifted away from where he was heading. Which so happened to be the spot on the curb where Edward and Bella were standing.

"I don't get it. Do you _see_ how many hot guys she attracts? It just isn't fair. It not like Bella's über hot or anything. So not cool." Jessica huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. She was scowling at the trio engaged in solemn conversation. "The hunk on the bike is the kid Bella used to hang out with from the rez. Jay? Jack? I dunno."

"Jacob, perhaps?" Scully offered helpfully.

"Yeah, I think that's it. I can't believe they're just talking. The last time Jason..."

"Jacob."

"Jacob, whatever. Well, the last time the three of them were together in the school parking lot, they weren't discussing nicely. The principal had to step in before there was bloodshed. They were killing each other with their eyes. It was kinda awesome."

"I'm assuming that's like eye sex?" Scully couldn't help but make the snarky observation.

Jessica was oblivious to the snark. She was engaging in a little eye murder herself. "Yep." She continued glaring until Bella slipped behind Jacob on the motorcycle, then her jaw dropped as the riders drove away. "Freakin' incredible! Did you _see_ that? Cullen just lets his girlfriend drive off with another guy. What kind of weirdo is he?"

"My thoughts exactly." Mulder's stare followed Edward Cullen's path through the parking lot. The boy was trailed by his sister to a silver Volvo, which sped from the lot soon after they were inside. "Any idea where they're going?" Mulder turned back to a still fuming Jessica and a highly amused Scully.

"Camping maybe. The Cullens go camping a lot, especially when it's sunny. They never take Bella camping though. I wonder why? Whatever. I've got to go. Is there anything more you need to know?"

"No, thank you. You've been very helpful." Scully scratched her upper lip in an attempt to hide a smile.

"Good. Do you think I'm FBI material? It sounds like _so_ much fun. I think I'd make an awesome FBI agent."

"They always need someone to analyze surveillance and wire taps. It's loads of fun," Mulder suggested.

"Yeah, sure. Later." With a flip of her curls, Jessica walked away.

"What now, Mulder?" When he didn't answer right away, Scully turned and looked up at him, only to find him engaging in eye sex with her. She ran her tongue over her lower lip, trying once again to quell a bemused smile. As if Mulder didn't already know how to do eye sex. He was already really good at it, but now wasn't the time. "Seriously, Mulder." She placed a hand on her hip, emphasizing the forced sternness in her voice. Much as she liked these little sessions, she couldn't let them go too far. Stepping over that particular boundary would be dangerous.

"Okay, don't eye murder me Scully. I think we ought to run a background check on the Cullens. I want to figure out what kind of weirdo Edward Cullen really is."

(*)

Bella leaned into Jake as he turned the corner onto her street. The whole day had felt so surreal, like she was walking in a dream. She didn't want to be away from Edward but being with Jake was good too. She found his warmth comforting; it made her feel a little closer to reality. The roar of the engine stopped but she didn't loosen her grip around Jake's midsection, doing so meant she had to confront this unreal reality.

"Bells? We're here. You can let go of me." _Or just keep holding on and I'll take you to the ends of the planet to keep you away from Cullen. Please keep holding on._ He felt her hands slip from his waist and he missed her immediately.

"I don't know if I can do this, Jake."

"You have to, it's the only way. Alice said it would work." _Well, what she could see of the battle anyway._

"How long do we have to wait?" Bella slid off the back of the motorcycle and stood by Jacob's side.

"Until the blo...Edward calls you. You have to call Charlie though and let him know you aren't going to be home tonight."

"Don't you mean lie to him?"

Jake looked into Bella's eyes. Since she was standing and he was still straddling the bike, he was nearly level with those deep eyes. "It's not a lie exactly. You are going camping with the Cullens, sort of."

"Should I mention the part about the slaying a vampire army?" Bella's wry tone cut him more than he let on.

He reached out to take her hand in his. "Bells, honey, you have to trust us. We're going to stop Victoria and you'll be safe." _Yeah, safe to become one of them. Trust vampires and werewolves_. Those few lines went right along with countless other statements he had said recently, things he never in his entire life, would have thought necessary to say. He held her hand for some time before either of them moved.

"Okay, I can do this," Bella announced, her resolve preparing her for the the next step. She slipped her hand from his and went into the house; Jacob followed her.

Bella picked up the kitchen phone. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the conversation with her father and dialed the number. As the connection rang through, she ventured a glance at Jake leaning casually by the sink. His posture might have been relaxed, but his face looked far from peaceful and the knowledge made her a little sick. He quite possibly could die saving her. It wasn't fair.

"Hello, Chief Swan. How may I help you?"

"Dad."

"How are you feeling Bella?"

"Better." _Liar._

"I meant to pick you up, but things have been busy at the station lately."

"That's okay, Dad. Dr. Cullen took me to school. Actually, Alice wants me to go camping with her. We're leaving tonight."

"Really? I never would've pegged Alice as the outdoorsy type."

"She's not really, but everyone else is going. I'm going to keep her company."

"As long as you feel up to it, I don't see a problem. Just take it easy, okay?"

"Sure, Dad. I'll leave something for you for dinner."

"You don't have to do that. I, uh, might actually have plans anyway."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow sometime." _Hopefully._

"Bye, Bells."

"Bye , Dad."

Bella pressed her back against the wall. Her resolve crumbled. She slid down the wall until she made contact with the floor. Jake was beside her seconds later, holding her as she dissolved into tears.

"Everything's going to be okay, Bella." _For now. Until you become one of them in two days, after graduation._ Jacob didn't really know what else to say. He wanted everything to turn out fine, but he knew it never would. As long as Bella followed Edward Cullen into eternity, things would never be fine. But Jacob would take fine for right now, while Bella's heart still beat, while her blush still tinted her cheeks, while her eyes were still deep and brown and alive. Now was all he had and now was slipping away. He held her tighter, only loosening his grip when her sobs slowed.

"What if it's not okay? What if somebody dies because of me?" Bella lifted her head to look into Jake's eyes, the tears making her eyes glisten brightly.

"No one's going to die. Jasper taught us how to defend ourselves. He's pretty good, you know. And most of the Cullens have been around a long time, so I don't think they're going anywhere. Alice would have said something if it turned out otherwise. Don't worry so much."

Bella grasped a handful of Jake's scanty shirt, a desperate look that broke his heart crossing her face. "Alice can't see everything. She can't see Quil or Embry or Sam. She can't see you. I don't want to lose you," she drew in a ragged breath and continued, "I _can't_ lose you."

Jacob looked at her, truly looked at her, like he was seeing her for the first time, the broken girl who wandered into his garage not all that long ago. If he died, which he had no intention of doing, she'd be that girl again. As much as he hated Edward Cullen, he couldn't let that happen to Bella. He loved her too much.

He lifted her chin with his hand, so her eyes were level with his. "I promise, I'll come back alive." He leaned closer to her face and brushed his lips against hers.

Bella was stunned. Her body went absolutely still when their lips connected. The shock wasn't so much from the kiss itself, but from the sudden realization that she loved Jake too. It wasn't the same as her love for Edward, but she had a connection that was more than simple friendship with Jake. There was a bond between them that couldn't be broken. Her lips stayed still against his warm lips.

Jacob pulled away from her, disappointed. He had expected, even though the kiss was unexpected, Bella to at least kiss him back or to draw away from him. She stayed still. When he looked into her eyes, they were wide with a knowledge he couldn't read.

The phone on the wall above them rang. Bella jumped up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Bella."

"Edward." Her voice shook either from guilt or relief, she wasn't sure which.

"Alice sees the army arriving just after nightfall, around eight o'clock. Jacob should leave with you around three to meet at the specified location. He knows where. Please stay with him until I am there with you."

"I will. Are you...going to fight too?" Her mouth went dry with worry, making it hard to speak.

The silent pause on the other end of the line was deafening. "Yes, Bella."

Tears stung at her eyes once more. "You can't! What if Victoria kills you? Stay with me. Please, Edward?"

"We'll talk about it later. I love you, Bella." The line went dead.

The distinct possibility of losing both Edward and Jake was almost too much to bear. Those old wounds ached with a vengeance. Bella's vision clouded around the edges. Darkness swirled into claim her. This wasn't happening. She wasn't going to let the panic overwhelm her again. She gulped a few breaths, making Jake look at her, concerned. She stuffed the fear down and channeled it into something more productive. She walked to the refrigerator.

"Are you hungry, Jake?" Bella shuffled jars and containers around on the refrigerator shelves.

"Like you need to ask." His tone was jocular, but in reality he was confused. What was happening here? Was it the kiss? He watched her give him a stiff half-smile and busied herself making sandwiches.

She sat down at the small table, watching Jake eat. Glancing up at the clock made the panic swell up again, threatening to choke her. It was only two o'clock. The ticking of the clock was deafening in her ears, echoing endlessly in her brain like a funeral dirge. It might have very well been just that, but whose dirge it might be troubled Bella. She bolted out of the room and upstairs.

Jacob pushed out of the chair, calling after her. "Bells? You okay?"

"Yeah. I just need to clean the bathroom and do some laundry before we leave." _In case I never come back._

It didn't require super powered hearing to notice the unsteady quiver in her voice. If Jake was totally honest with himself, he was scared too. He barely could get the five sandwiches Bella made for him down his throat it was that dry from nerves. If the wolf instinct in him wasn't so strong, he probably wouldn't have eaten at all. He heard cabinet doors opening upstairs, smelled the cleaner fumes and decided on letting Bella work out her anxiety in her own way. He eyed the sixth sandwich on his plate. Picking up the plate, he threw the remaining sandwich in the garbage. Wolf or not, he couldn't force anymore food around the growing knot in his stomach without gagging.

(*)

"How's the search going?" Scully looked up from the outdated magazine and across the room to where Mulder sat hunched in front of the laptop.

"It's interesting. Everything seems to check out but the further back I search, things get a little sketchy."

"How so?"

"Well, there's the birth records for instance. Those all check out perfectly fine. The hospitals actually existed, with real doctors attending. Things get fuzzy when I try to trace the record back to the parents."

"Carlisle's parents?"

Mulder nodded. "And his wife's parents. I get matches for the names and corresponding matches for Social Security numbers, but I get nothing beyond that information. I can't even tell if the parents of either are still alive. And Dr. Cullen's adopted kids all have closed adoption records."

Scully swung her legs down off of the bed and crossed the room. Standing behind Mulder, she scanned the information on the screen. "That's not unusual. Many adoption files are sealed. What about a document for Esme's guardianship of her niece and nephew?"

Mulder's fingers tapped over the keyboard. "Here it is." They both looked over the PDF of the original record. A quick search of who was apparently Esme's sister, revealed a woman by the name of Anne Platt, died in a horrific accident somewhere in Idaho. The request for legal guardianship took place in Ohio, Esme's home state at the time, and was perfectly legitimate.

"Can you find a record of the accident? A record of it might move things along." Scully's breath was warm and distracting against Mulder's ear. He ignored her closeness as best he could and responded to her request. It was difficult ignoring her when she stood so close.

_No match(es) found. Search again._

"It doesn't mean anything, Mulder. The record could have been misplaced or never filed in the first place. We at least have a death certificate for Anne Platt."

"Okay, I'll give you that one. How about this one? There's a pattern to their movement. They spend no more than six years in one place, sometimes even less."

Scully shook her head. "My family moved quite a bit too. I think by the time I was sixteen we had moved five times. Moving frequently doesn't make the Cullens mass murders or out of the norm, Mulder. You're trying too hard to make them the bad guys."

"You're forgetting the bad guys are after them."

Scully took a step back from her partner. "Since when did _we_ decide the serial killers were after the Cullens?"

"Think about it Scully. What people are considered prominent members of a community?"

"Mayors, council members, successful business owners, lawyers, doctors, police chiefs. Shall I go on? Are we going to put the entire town under protective custody? We can't prove this group is after such people."

"Yeah, but we can't disprove it either."

A cell phone rang and both of the agents reached for their respective phones. Scully's hand froze as she drew the phone from her pocket; it was her phone ringing. The local area code was visible in the caller ID. This wasn't good. It was definitely Chief Swan and he was either informing her about more incidents or asking her out again.

"You gonna answer that?"

She nodded. "I'll be back in a second." She walked out of Mulder's room, giving herself some privacy. Once outside, she answered the call.

"Agent Scully speaking."

"Hi, it's Charlie Swan. Are you busy tonight?"

She swallowed hard, looking around the exterior of the motel, thinking of some reason she wasn't available. A familiar sound caught her attention, followed by an equally familiar sight; an abnormally large teenage boy rode by on a motorcycle with a teenage girl as his passenger. "Actually, I'm busy tonight. Some other time perhaps?"

"Sure."

There was a faint note of disappointment in Charlie's voice. Normally, such a tone would have inspired a slight twinge of guilt from Scully, but her mind had given over to speculation. Without saying goodbye, she hit the end button on her phone and opened the door to Mulder's room.

"Mulder, get the keys. I just saw Jacob Black and Bella Swan and it looked like they were leaving town. I think we ought to follow them."


	8. Keep Your Enemies Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alice uses some non-canon language in this chapter.

Jacob was aware of the car behind him. For the billionth time today, he wished his reality was something entirely different. If he was something different, if the Cullens were something different, none of this would be happening and everyone he cared about would be safe. If the FBI agents behind him were smart, and he gathered they were pretty intelligent since they connected Forks with Seattle on mere assumptions, they'd give up and go home. They did not want to follow him and Bella into the wilderness. In a few hours, a little walk in the woods might be the last thing they ever did.

He urged the motorcycle a little faster. If he couldn't lose them on the main road, he could do it when he got to the trail, where they couldn't follow him in the car.

Some days it would have just been easier telling all the secrets.

(*)

"Tell me again why we're following these two, Scully?"

"I can't explain it. There was something about the way Jacob picked her up at school that seemed very deliberate, almost planned. And maybe Jessica did have a point. What boyfriend lets his girlfriend ride off with another guy, especially one he doesn't like? Could you do something like that?"

"Depends on the situation, but most teenagers don't get into the types of situations that warrant handing off a loved one to an enemy."  _But if it came to keeping you safe, I'd do anything._

"So, if teens don't get into such life or death situations, then what's happening here?"

"Joyriding."

Scully cast a side long glance at her partner. "You really believe that's all it is?" It was odd, Mulder being the practical, rational one.

"No, and I'm glad you went out on a limb with a hunch. There's something off about the situation and I'd like to find out what." His hand moved along the steering wheel, longing to take her hand in his. He thought better of it, and gripped the steering wheel firmly.

(*)

"Is she capable of destroying another coven?"

"Perhaps. She lost the last important bond she had left."

"Good, desperation will make her deadly. One way or the other, we'll clean up what's left. There's no use getting our hands dirty just yet. If she's good, the situation will resolve itself. Shall we? The car is waiting to take us to the ferry. We don't want to be late."

(*)

The motorcycle raced along a barely traveled secondary road that jutted off from the main one some two miles back. Bella's arms wrapped tightly around his chest as the road got rougher. Just a little further, there was a trail that met with the road. He'd ditch the motorcycle there. Jacob listened for the sound of the pursuing car. He wasn't entirely sure, but the agents had to be a good distance behind them. Far enough, he hoped, he could lose them with a sharp turn and still have enough time to hide the motorcycle and run off with Bella. It was enough keeping Bella safe from Victoria, he didn't need to worry about two FBI agents wandering around the woods after dark too. Should those two go missing, more FBI agents would come searching for them and if the flame haired bitch was still on the loose, things got way more complicated. Why couldn't things be simple like they used to be?

Just ahead of them, Jacob saw the trail. Quickly, he maneuvered the motorcycle onto the trail and drove some distance before cutting the engine. Bella hesitantly slipped her arms from around him. When she finally let him go, he found the perfect place to hide the motorcycle. To his left, was a massive spruce toppled some time ago into a mass of ferns.

Effortlessly, he swung the motorcycle over the rotting, moss-covered log and nested it into the ferns. Most of the gleaming chrome was hidden by the shadows cast by the ferns, but the area bore evidence of being recently disturbed. By the time anyone came across it, Bella and he would be long gone. If things went well, he'd be back to claim the motorcycle, so long as no one else picked it up first.

He swept Bella up in his arms and set off up the trail at a blistering jog. Bella clung to him awkwardly, her eyes scrunched tightly shut. He heard the agents' car stop not long after he set off with Bella. They were still too close. He broke into a run and Bella tucked her head under his chin. The awkwardness was gone.

(*)

"What now, Mulder?" She didn't know why she bothered asking; she knew the answer.

"We follow them."

"No. I'm not going hiking in heels. You can go after them if you'd like."

"You've done it before."

"And each time I have, I promised it would be the last time."

"That's why there's a pair of sneakers in the trunk. I figured we'd end up in the woods. We always do when we're in the Pacific Northwest."

"How..."

"I got them when I went out jogging earlier this morning. I guessed at the size." He shrugged, acting like it was no big deal that he was extra thoughtful, and opened the trunk. He handed a box to Scully and took out his own well-worn sneakers. "I hope they fit."

Scully looked at the box. The shoes were a size seven. Damn, Mulder was good; she was a six and a half under most circumstances. Hopefully they weren't too big. Opening the lid, she realized Mulder had no color sense. She lifted a bright orange and gray shoe out of the box with a questioning eyebrow arch.

"Hey, they were on clearance."

"No wonder. I think they'll fit."

"Good. I'm going to go on ahead before we lose them entirely."

"Don't get too far ahead of me." Scully felt the cold dread creep back into her again, like it had earlier today, as she saw Mulder disappear into the dense forest. She double checked her pockets, making sure she had her flashlight. Tying the laces on her new sneakers tighter, she set off after Mulder.

To her surprise, she caught up with him easily. He was standing by an area of crushed ferns, the air laden with the verdant scent of them . In the middle of the mashed ferns, she made out the trunk of a fallen tree and the faint gleam of chrome. As Scully approached, she recognized the rest of the motorcycle haphazardly hidden as the one they were following earlier.

"It looks like where ever they went, they went on foot. They shouldn't have too much of a lead on us. We can catch them," Mulder stated confidently. Scully wasn't all that sure they would catch Bella and Jacob.

(*)

Jacob stood still for a minute. The forest was quiet around him, punctuated occasionally by a bird call. The air was calm, barely stirring the boughs of the spruce and fir trees around them. He couldn't hear the agents following them anymore, but he couldn't be sure they weren't still pursuing Bella and him. When he was able to shift into his wolf form, he would inform the other wolves of their possible presence. He started off again as the trail wound its way upward over the rough terrain. It was still another twelve miles or so before they were at the campsite Edward had picked out. Though there was no hurry, he had plenty of time to make it to the camp, Jacob sped up his pace.

(*)

The tent sat in a small meadow some five miles from the clearing Alice envisioned the battle taking place. A safe distance, she assured Edward. Despite her guarantees, Edward still felt nervous. Bella had pleaded with him to stay with her. He knew she wanted him to stay so he'd be safe. He wasn't entirely sure she'd be safe without him. Sam assigned one of the Pack's youngest members, Seth, to stay behind with Bella. While Seth could provide adequate protection, more than most young teenagers, Edward couldn't be sure it would be enough should Victoria's plans change.

He paced on the rock-strewn ground. He had changed the location of the tent, again. Not satisfied with the protection offered by meadow, he pulled up the anchoring stakes of the tent and relocated it near the base of a rocky ridge on the fringe of the meadow. The scrubby saplings and shrubs would hopefully block some of Bella's scent, and the steep ridge behind the tent eliminated the possibility of even a vampire from approaching from behind the tent without notice. This minor change should have appeased him, but he still worried. Perhaps he should stay here during the battle.

Not wanting to exclude his family on this decision, Edward hastened to the clearing. Alice met him at its edge.

"I already saw and ran it by Carlisle for you. It looks like it is an unnecessary move either way. But whatever makes you and Bella happy. There's only nineteen of them currently, and the arrival time is still somewhere around eight o'clock."

"Thank you, Alice. Best of luck."

"Thanks, but we won't need it. We can handle this thanks to the wolves. Oh, make sure when Seth joins, he doesn't get too close. I can't see you or Bella if he's too close."

"How close is too close?"

"Less than six feet."

Edward frowned doubtfully. "I'll try, but the area is rather limited on space."

Alice shrugged. "I'm positive I'll be too busy to notice."

Edward caught a knowing smirk and a rather impolite thought as Alice turned to leave. "No, there won't be any of  _that_  going on, I assure you."

_Oh really?_  Suspicion was written heavily on her face.

"Yes, really."

Alice's golden eyes rolled dramatically.  _Prude._

"Just old fashioned." Edward smiled slyly, just as Alice had an interesting vision. Her thoughts became so ecstatic he couldn't read them very clearly. "Calm down, Alice. I haven't asked yet. She might refuse."

"If she does, she's crazy."

"You'd better get back. Jasper wants to go through a few more practice drills."

(*)

After an hour and a half on the trail, it was evident Bella and Jacob were long gone.

Mulder found prints on the trail, so they hadn't strayed off of it. Well, one of them hadn't. The prints belonged to one person and it appeared to be Jacob. They had yet to find a print for Bella on or off the trail.

Scully watched as Mulder stooped over another print, identical to the dozen others they examined earlier. She checked the edge of the trail for signs of disturbances. The branches and plant growth nearest the trail were the only things offering signs anyone had passed by recently. Nothing was disturbed beyond the trail, just like the last five times they stopped. She regretted following her intuition.

"Mulder, we aren't going to catch up with them. I was wrong, sending us on this goose chase."

"I don't think you were wrong, Scully. True, we won't catch up with them, stopping every three hundred feet or so, but we might catch some sort of clue. The only tracks on this trail belong to Jacob. That's enough of a clue for me."

"What are you saying, Mulder?"

"There were two people on this trail. We saw both of their tracks back at the motorcycle. Hers, the smaller ones, disappear within the next few feet. He's obviously carrying her."

"Are you sure she's not leading the way and he's covering her footsteps with his?"

Mulder motioned his partner over to where he was standing. "If that was the case, wouldn't the print be indistinguishable? Two overlapping prints would make one smeared print."

Looking at the print Mulder indicated, Scully could discern a clear pattern of a sneaker, a very large sneaker. He was right; Jacob had to be carrying Bella. "Okay, so he's carrying her. We already know she's clumsy. Maybe he's being chivalrous."

"Chivalrous? For, I dunno," Mulder glanced back down the trail, the beginning of which was no longer visible. "I'm going to say, three miles? Most teenage boys would have made her walk by now. He should, by all rights, be collapsed by the side of the trail. The guy's like a walking superhero."

"So we're going to keep following them until we find something. Good thing I brought my flashlight."

(*)

The miles slipped by quickly, effortlessly, and much too soon for Jacob. He arrived at the appointed clearing. Before he had the chance to find the tent and Edward, his nose was assailed by the pungent stench of a vampire. The now-familiar scent of an old-fashioned, old lady's perfume, topped with corn syrup, and laced with death, informed Jacob of Edward's presence. Edward's pale face looked grim and pained, like someone had put a knife through his heart, as if that was even possible. Jacob felt a smugly satisfied grin cross his face as Edward closed the short distance between them.

Reluctantly, he relinquished Bella to Edward's waiting arms. She wrapped her arms around Edward's neck tightly. Jacob felt the grin slip from his face; Edward wore it now. He was about to spin on his heels and dash into the treeline, when Edward's cool, melodic voice stopped him short.

"I want to thank you, Jacob. I couldn't possibly put into words how grateful I am to both you and your pack. Protecting Bella, protecting all of us, at great risks to yourselves is a noble sacrifice."

Jacob turned slightly, looking into Edward's predator eyes. He seemed sincere enough, but Jacob's instincts resisted trusting a vampire entirely. Whether he wanted to or not, he probably never could trust the Cullens without some shadow of hesitation.

"It's part of our job, protecting humans," Jacob replied stiffly.

"No, you're protecting us as well. That goes beyond the treaty, beyond instinct. Perhaps some day we can return the favor."

"I seriously doubt that," Jacob snorted.

"I am appreciative for all that you have done. You kept Bella safe for me when I was too much of a coward."

"I wasn't doing it as a favor for you."

In the rigid silence between the two, Bella was struck again by a weighty guilt. She simply wouldn't let Jake dash off into the unknown and be killed. She couldn't imagine her world without him. If she begged, he might stay. His will wasn't as inflexible as Edward's and Jake usually came around; just like her, Jake wasn't good at keeping a grudge. She spoke up before he turned away from her, possibly for good.

"Jake, I need you to stay with me. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please?" Her voice quivered, with shame and worry. She didn't like begging, but this was the only way she could keep Jake from dying, short of lying and saying she loved him. She did love him, but she could never love him in the way he expected.

Jacob broke his gaze from Edward. Bella's eyes were shimmering with tears. He hated it when she cried. Drawing in a breath to answer her, he'd do anything for her, he felt a pull away from her. He realized then, there was something more standing between Bella and him. Jacob knew, no matter how much he wanted to, he didn't love Bella as much he thought he did. "Bella, I can't stay with you. I have orders from Sam and I can't disobey him. I promise I'll be fine. You'll be fine too."

"Tell Seth he'll have company. I'm staying with Bella."

"Sure, sure." With that, he turned and sprinted for the cover of the forest. He needed to get back to the spot where the pack was meeting. Once inside the tree line, Jacob phased, ensuring his trip back would be a fast one.

As Jacob disappeared from sight, Bella felt the connection to him lessen. He understood she loved Edward more and was able to step away. Still, she wished he had stayed. She had done her best to keep him safe and her best wasn't enough. Slowly, she realized it wasn't about protecting Jake,or even Edward, at all, but rather trying to keep control over the situation. Bella didn't have the best hand in this card game and it was difficult to be so powerless. For once, the supernatural world was getting the best of her.

(*)

Alice sat patiently under a tree, looking into the future. The rest of the family was out making passes through the forest, between the house and the appointed location, hoping the additional fresh scent trail would lure more of Victoria's army away from town. Except Emmett, he had opted to stay behind with Alice. She didn't mind. Having Jasper, and even Edward at times, around her when she scanned for visions was distracting. It was much easier to keep the visions private without someone picking up on your emotions or reading your mind. Emmett didn't do either and respected her privacy, keeping some distance between them, whittling a figure out of wood, a habit left from his human days.

When relaxed, Alice's visions pushed further into the future, exploring both minor and major tangents. They came to her like flashes of a movie clip. As expected, nothing had changed from her earlier visions. There were still nineteen in Victoria's army, divided into two groups. One group disappeared somewhere south of town and no one reemerged later, which was wonderful, it meant the wolves had done their part.

The vision for the second group played much the same as she had seen earlier. The second group was dispatched almost immediately, with her going after Victoria. Amid the purple-black plumes of smoke, Alice saw herself tearing Victoria's head off. The image stalled, holding steady for a second before the motion returned. When it did, Victoria's image flickered, fading in and out, until she was little more than a ghost in the picture. Alice knew the significance; there was a hesitation, a wavering decision. She'd have to watch that vision very closely.

Just as Alice was ready to step from of her visions, a new image flickered in her mind's eye. Four figures walked through the mist of the forest as twilight descended. Their eyes burned red against the dark shadows cast by the hoods of gray cloaks. There was no mistaking who they were, but Alice wasn't able to get a purpose from the image. Panicked, she searched for more information. There was nothing else to find; the image stayed constant. The four figures glided through the mist, almost casually, with no expression of intent. Until the image flipped and rolled, coming in and out of focus like a bad spot in the film. This wasn't indecision. This was something, someone, else.

Then the vision jerked completely from the theater in her mind. Reality snapped back in startling clarity. Alice stood up and punched the tree, her small fist gouging a hole straight through it. The plug of spruce went sailing into another tree, lodging itself in the bark.

"Motherfucker!" Alice shrieked at the quivering tree as she punched it again.


	9. SNAFU

Emmett was surprised as hell, hearing the loud pop and the ensuing scream. Alice never really lost her temper. For the most part, she resorted to pouting when something went wrong or else Jasper calmed her down before it got to an all out rage. Damn it, Jasper wasn't around to deal with this. Jasper was out with Esme, who was anxious about the approaching battle, keeping her calm until it was time. What was he supposed to do? When Rose was upset, he normally put his hands on her shoulders while she raged and within a few minutes she'd sigh, collapsing into his embrace. He got up, thinking perhaps this tactic would work for Alice, and went to her.

"Hey, baby doll, what's wrong?" He calmly placed his hands firmly on her shoulders, keeping her from pounding the rest of the tree into splinters. It was kind of funny, seeing a tree with a hole straight through it still standing, but he could see it wasn't going to stand much longer.

Alice slipped from Emmett's grip, which normally was difficult to do, but she was so furious she had more strength than normal. She spun around and jabbed a finger into his solid chest. "Call me baby doll again, and Rose is getting your dick as a dildo for Christmas. Where's Carlisle? This is bad, really bad."

Emmett took a step back before he answered, hoping he was far enough away in case she decided to make good on that dick threat. Sure, it could be reattached, but still... "He's freshening the trail from the house with Rose. They'll be back shortly. What did you see?"

"The damned Volturi! I can't believe I didn't see them earlier. They must have slipped in through Canada at the last minute, playing on my vision's weaknesses. Damn it! Those sneaky, underhanded..." She paced between Emmett and the damaged tree.

"The Volturi? What the hell do they want?" The Volturi rarely got involved in trivial matters. Their arrival suggested to Emmett this battle wasn't as insignificant as his family first thought.

The pacing stopped abruptly and Alice glared at Emmett. "I don't freaking know! I looked but I kept seeing the same damn thing." She turned back to the tree and punched it hard. The spruce gave one last quivering shudder before toppling to the forest floor, taking a few limbs from adjacent trees down with it. After the crash, she resumed pacing. "To make matters worse, I can't even see that clearly anymore. I got some interference in the signal. I need to run this info by Carlisle and see what we can do about it. Oh, and Victoria is indecisive about where she'll be in all of this. SNAFU doesn't even cover this situation any more."

Feeling it was safe to touch Alice again, without fear for his manhood, Emmett placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well, whatever Victoria dishes out, I'm sure we can handle it. As for the Volturi, I personally think they're a bunch of creepy assholes, but Carlisle thinks they're okay. Maybe they're after Victoria and not us."

Alice scowled. "Damned eternal optimist," she muttered, some of her anger ebbing away. Jasper, returning with Esme, was close enough for her emotions to reach him and for him to calm her. Much as she wanted to believe Emmett's theory, there was something sinister in the Volturi's presence. Carlisle would have a better grasp on what their sudden appearance might mean.

(*)

"Edward, I'm so glad you're staying out of the fight. I couldn't stand it if you left me again." Bella clung tightly to his neck as he entered the tent with her still wrapped protectively in his arms.

He smiled lightly at her, setting her down on the spread out sleeping bag. Edward wasn't planning on this being an overnight camping expedition, but always cautious, he brought a sleeping bag should Bella get cold. "I had to make sure you'd be okay. I'd be sick with worry the whole time during the battle if I couldn't see you for myself. I'm always worried about your safety. I'm sure Seth would have been adequate protection, but I can't let your fate rest in anybody's hands but mine." He kissed her cheek softly as he sat down beside her. "Besides, with Seth here, I'll be able to keep in check with the Pack. Alice is pretty sure I'm not needed. There's only nineteen in Victoria's army."

Bella sighed with relief, but her lower lip was still caught under her teeth and the worried crease on her brow remained steadfastly in place.

"You needn't worry, Bella. Everyone will be all right in the end." Edward picked up her hand and squeezed it in a gentle, reassuring manner.

"That's not all I'm worried about. I mean it is, for the most part, but I am the reason everybody is in danger. Not just you and your family, but every person in or around Forks. If I was a vampire, none of this would be an issue."

Edward shifted his body closer to Bella. "That's not exactly true. I'm sure if you were a vampire, we'd still have had trouble with James and Victoria."

"But I'd be able to help. I hate feeling like I have no control. I feel so powerless."

"Are you rethinking your decision about changing?" He was concerned she might want to change sooner rather than later. Dread weighed heavy on his shoulders. He couldn't turn her now; it was too hasty. She had so much human life left.

"No, I'm not. I'm not in a hurry to change, well not that much, like you think. There are a few things I want to do before I change. I just thought I'd be more helpful if I were a vampire." A faint blush stole across her checks and she lowered her eyes.

He shook his head. "Bella, you can't change while you're so afraid. A vampire's psyche alters very little from their last human moments to their first ones as a vampire. The fear, the anxiety you have now will become a permanent part of you. Maybe not a significant part of you, but it would be more prominent than your other characteristics. You wouldn't be you." Edward paused, his attention caught by one of her earlier statements. "What is it you want to do before you change?"

Bella raised her eyelashes in what she hoped was a seductive manner. She leaned into Edward's solid chest. "I want to do you," she stated softly, as her lips brushed against his in a not so innocent kiss.

"Want to do me? What do you mean?" Edward felt he was missing some bit of information in this conversation.

"What I mean is this." Bella pulled herself into Edward's lap, kissing him more forcefully.

Edward played along, almost too willing, now that he got the gist of their now abandoned discussion. His lips carefully caressed their way down to Bella's throat and made their way back up again. He stopped when Bella's hand ceased roaming across his chest.

She was trying to pull her shirt off.

"No, Bella, don't." He pushed her from his lap lightly and put a small, but respectable distance between them.

"You're telling me to stop?" She looked up at him, brows furrowed in confusion.

In an instant, he was back beside her, cupping her face between his hands. "I want you, Bella. Believe me, I do. Just not here, not now."

"Where then? When?"

It was Edward's turn to lower his eyes. Were it possible, he would have blushed. He smiled shyly. "I thought we would wait for  _that_  until after we were married."

"Oh. Married."

"You want to spend all eternity with me, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"Then why is marriage so objectionable? It's just a legal statement of our feelings."

"When you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad."

Edward noted the hesitation in her voice. "But?"

"I don't know. I'm not even nineteen. It seems a little young."

"We can marry whenever you are ready. Nineteen, twenty-five, or thirty. I hope it doesn't take you that long though."

"I don't think it will. Maybe sooner than later. Okay?"

"Whenever you are ready. I'll wait for you..."

"... if you'll wait for me. Fair enough." Bella beamed up at Edward with a look of such intense happiness, it would have made his heart beat faster had it still worked.

He reached in a small pocket inside his jacket and withdrew a small black satin box. He knelt down on one knee beside Bella. Carefully, he opened the lid of the antique box revealing the oval ring of lacy gold filigree and diamonds.

"Isabella Marie Swan, it would be an honor if you'd accept me as your husband. Will you marry me?" Edward slipped the ring from its satin nest and slid it into place on Bella's ring finger.

Bella eyed the ring on her finger, watching the dimming light play off of the diamonds. It fit perfectly, like it belonged. The gold was different from anything she had ever seen before; she could tell it was old. It probably belonged to Edward's mother. This moment was probably the single best moment in her life so far. Tears of happiness stung at the corners of her eyes. Looking deep into Edward's topaz eyes, she gave her answer. "Yes."

In her simple answer, Edward felt a swirl of emotions he hadn't felt in years. Nervousness, exuberance, thrill. Some were so unfamiliar to him, he knew they were leftover parts from his seventeen year old human self. It was an odd and wonderful sensation, all at the same time. He couldn't have been happier.

He was about to kiss her, when a soft chuffing noise stopped him. "Seth is here."

(*)

"Which members of the Volturi were in your vision?" Carlisle was optimistic at first, when Alice described her vision. Now, an upwelling of doubt crept into his mind.

"I saw dark cloaks and red eyes, but not much else. They were Guard members, so Jane was with them. Maybe Felix and Demetri. I'm not even sure who sent them." Alice sighed in frustration. Jasper calmed her significantly, but she still mustered a mildly agitated demeanor out from under his blanketing emotions.

"There isn't much we can do about them now. Be prepared for anything, until we know for certain what they want. What about the interference in your vision?"

"It's from the FBI agents, I'm sure. It was the same pattern I saw with them earlier. I don't think the Volturi would be stupid enough to kill them though, way too messy. But I can't be sure either because I can't see."

"Is there any way to find them before the Volturi do?" The possibility of this night including human fatalities did not sit well with Carlisle's conscience.

"Hang on, I'll see if I can locate were they will be." Alice stepped back from Carlisle, her eyes unfocused as she retreated into the movie theater within her mind. It should be easy to find the spot where the agents distorted the forest. The near future showed a heavy mist rolling in, but no distortion. The film-like images changed rapidly at Alice's demand, switching from one area of the forest to the next in rapid succession. Another vision intruded without her request; a five second clip that disappeared as abruptly as it had arrived.

"There's no time. We can't save them. The first wave will be fighting against the wolves in five minutes. The second wave will be here shortly after. They'll come in with the mist," Alice announced, her eyes as blank as her voice.

(*)

The thickening clouds choked the remaining light and the shadows deepened swiftly. Scully's breathing increased along with the shadows. The light breeze prickled her skin and a shiver flicked up her spine. The earlier unease settled around her now like an unpleasant shroud, impossible to shake off.

"Mulder, I think we ought to go back. It's getting dark. If we go back now, we might be able to get back to the car before it's too dark."

He stopped and looked back at her, his outline slightly darker than the shadows and tree trunks in the premature twilight. "We will, in a minute or two. There's a little hollow down below I want to check out before we go back." Mulder motioned down from the rise they were on, to the small depression below. Wispy tendrils of mist curled around it, threatening to engulf the hollow.

It didn't look promising to Scully. "Fine, check it out, but we are leaving after you do."

"Sure thing, Scully." Mulder turned, slipping out of sight down the incline.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Scully moved forward, following her partner. "Damn it," she hissed as she tripped. Her foot and her shoelace were tangled in the ferns. She stopped, disengaging herself from snarl of runners and fragrant leaves, and continued down the trail. The mist swirled in the hollow below her, obscuring everything within it.

"Mulder?" Her voice sounded empty against the encroaching mist. Her steps quickened and she reached into her pocket for her flashlight. "Mulder?"

The mist was alive, scrutinizing her every move. Silently, it circled her, watching, waiting for her next move. Her mouth went dry and her heart raced.

"Mulder!" She forced a shout around the fear and panic constricting her throat.

Only foreboding silence answered. Mulder was gone.

(*)

A strange scent caught the sensitive nose of Raoul. Stopping at the head of the group, he sniffed deeply. This was something new, but oddly familiar. He motioned for Kevin to break from the rest of the group.

"Do you smell something funny?"

Kevin sniffed. "Yeah. Kinda smells like wet.." His sentence hung unfinished as a huge, furry form ripped his throat and head apart, venom glistening wetly from the gash.

(*)

Red eyes, opened wide in astonishment, gleamed brilliantly against the dark. They made for an easy target, standing still for a flicker of a moment. That moment of hesitation was all the wolves needed. Lunging forward, they snapped pieces of the vamps off, making a satisfying metallic shredding sound. Panic spread, but it was too late. The wolves had surrounded the group of vampires. They put up little effort protecting themselves; they couldn't even be called an army anymore.

In the gray light, pieces resembling crumpled Greek statues accumulated in a large pile. The pile, though akin to discarded limbs of marble, writhed with life. Hands sought out arms; toes wiggled, propelling a foot and a leg in a vain search for a matching hip. The twitching mass grew like some macabre ancient shrine to destruction.

Somewhere amid the screeching, rasping sounds, a lighter flicked and the orange glow of an infant flame danced among the shadows and shifting shapes. The flame grew, gorging itself on the steady supply of fuel. Pillars of oily, bruise-colored smoke rolled skyward, darker than the twilight. A tall, muscular man's figure silhouetted black against the orange flames. He bent down, placing a small item back into a pouch tied around his right ankle. Around him, the darken shapes of his Pack dashed, picking up the last bits of unearthly white and flinging them into the flames. In minutes, everything was still.

"Good work. Paul, stay here and make sure no piece is left or escapes from the fire," Sam nudged a leg back into the flames with his foot. "The rest of us will head back to the Cullens. Keep a good look out; they can hide in trees." His silhouette blurred, changing from man to wolf, in less time than a blink. The reflected light of the flames shimmered in his eyes. He raised his head up toward the columns of smoke and left out a howl. The others joined in, drowning out the roar of the flames.

Victory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used some character names found in the Bree Tanner story which were mentioned on Twilight lexicon.


	10. Getting Better All The Time

Bella stiffened. The unfurled sleeping bag slipped down from her shoulders, the faint howls of wolves still ringing in her ears. "Did something go wrong?"

"No, things went very well." Edward paused, listening to the chorus of voices in Seth's mind. "Some are even a little disappointed the army didn't put up much of a fight." He pulled the sleeping bag up over her shoulders and cradled her in his arms. "Nothing to worry about."

As if to reiterate Edward's assurances, Seth howled, a celebratory congratulations to his pack mates. He was happy they had succeed, even if he was left out of the fight. Seth sat back down, concealed by the brush near the tent and waited, his ears pricked forward, listening.

(*)

The beam of light from the flashlight didn't travel far. It stopped several feet in front of her, half reflecting back into her eyes and the other half swallowed by the nebulous wall. Scully was enveloped by the mist and it wasn't a good feeling. She could only see about three feet in front of her.

Aiming the light toward the ground, she found her way back to the trail. She waited. Should she keep looking for Mulder or should she go get help? Keep looking, but if help could also be found, that would be great. She ascended the rise of ground in front of her, not certain if she was heading forward or retracing her steps. The mist messed with any sense of direction she had, and obscured any sort of landmark that might have guided her.

Standing still once the ground leveled off, Scully felt the wispy fingers of mist brush by her cheek. She shuddered; it was like being touched by an unseen stranger. Her loneliness amplified a moment later with the howls of wolves she hoped were behind her, far behind her. Irrationally, she ran with the dancing beam from the flashlight guiding her either away from, or straight into danger.

(*)

"What are you doing here?" An icy, child-like voice cut through the gloom. "Your kind has no business in our affairs." Large, strong arms gripped him, compelling make him answer.

"My kind? Who the  _hell_  are you?" Struggling against the boulder-like arms imprisoning him, Mulder couldn't identify the speaker. All he saw were three undefined shapes of varying sizes. "State police? Park ranger? Look, if you just let me go for a second, I'll get my badge, you'll see I'm an FBI agent. I didn't mean to step on any jurisdiction's toes. I was just following some people of interest..."

"Really?" The tiny voice was clearly unamused. "An FBI agent, how very unoriginal. Demitri, light please for our poor sighted guest." A small hand slipped into his jacket pocket, retrieving his badge. "Clever, but unoriginal. I believe your kind borrowed the idea from us. Humans have been our puppets long before you had any designs on them."

Light fell on the dark shapes, revealing them more completely to Mulder. Grey cloaks covered their clothing and most of the pale skin. But nothing covered their red eyes.

The smallest figure moved toward him, a gliding motion producing little sound, except for the faint rustle of its cloak. Pushing the hood of the cloak farther back, it revealed itself to Mulder. A girl. A girl and her overgrown handlers were holding him hostage.

"Here," the girl thrust his badge and ID back into his hand. "They'll need that to identify you, won't they?" She shrugged her shoulders, an apathetic gesture. Apparently, this girl never expressed any other emotion. Pulling something from a pocket on the inside of her cloak, she advanced closer. She was standing toe to toe with him now, starring up at him with her glaring red eyes. "According to the arrangement made between our kinds, we can dispose of you since you have violated our territory."

Mulder struggled against the arms holding him still. What the hell was wrong with this guy? He hadn't moved a muscle. Come to think of it, he hadn't even breathed. The legends were true. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know of any arrangement. I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm sure as hell not violating your territory. This is a national park and since I'm a federal agent, you're violating my territory."

The girl laughed mirthlessly. "How silly of you. How very, very stupid of you too. There are four of us and only one of you. We outnumber you, so it's our territory. I'll make it quick, we have more important matters than dealing with the likes of you." She held up what looked like a silver knife handle and press a small button on its side, revealing a long, thin point resembling an ice pick. The object in the girl's hands was familiar and Mulder knew her intent.

"Jane, dear, you don't want to kill him yet. We have time. Victoria's riff-raff isn't here, so why not toy with him first. Our powers work on his kind, do they not?"

" What a fine idea, Alec. It's been some time since I played with one. Aro doesn't like it when I do. Hold him still, Felix." She pressed the button on the weapon's handle and the long, shining point disappeared. A grim smile spread across her face as she took several fluid steps back away from Mulder and his handler.

In the next second, Mulder felt a tingling pain race up his arms and legs. What the hell was going on? Was this the 'power' the boy spoke of? It wasn't a crippling pain; no, it was most like being too close to a live wire. All the energy of the electricity, but without the frying of full electrocution. His attacker looked at him with a scowl of intense concentration. This was obviously some sort of telekinetic power, which obviously wasn't working to its desired effect, according to the scowl.

"I don't feel anything but a tickle, princess," he goaded. So maybe it was a lie, but the little one didn't know that.

She hissed through her teeth, but her concentration remained undaunted. She moved closer, her eyes wide with rage. Meeting her glare, Mulder couldn't look away. "You'll feel this."

His heart was ripped halfway out of his chest and was burning. The flames licked their way inside, following his veins. He screamed in pain and writhed, trying to get out from under the rock hewn arms holding him. Looking down for any possible escape, he saw no hole in his chest and there were no tongues of flames lapping up his flesh. Whatever spell the angst fairy had cast on him was broken.

A shrill, ear-piercing scream made him look up again. In a flash the girl was in his face again, rage and confusion masking the otherwise apathetic face.

"You're one of the half breeds, aren't you?" She shrieked, grabbing a handful of hair and pulling his head. There was no illusion to this pain; it was all real and hurt quite a bit.

Before Mulder could taunt the little bitch, she let go of his hair. She was listening. The air rang with the sound of screeching metal. The apathetic look was back.

"Come. We are late."

(*)

The howls faded. They were close; he could tell. Their emotions sent out a wave some distance in front of them. He reached for the hand he knew was beside him and gave it a firm squeeze. Looking down into her eyes, there was reassurance and a glimmer of triumph. It was all he needed. They would succeed. They would survive.

He let go of her hand and stepped forward. Flanking him, Carlisle and Emmett matched his movement, forming a staggered line offering their mates protection from the first strike. "Remember, let them strike first."

Within seconds, racing shadows sprung from the mist, just as Alice said they would. As the shadows lunged forward, Jasper shouted his order.

"Now!"

Moving in perfect unison, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett stepped forward and met the red eyed shades.

Jasper grasped the startled newborn by its upper arms before it could attack him. Pulling down hard, in conjunction with pushing his foot against his enemy's waist, he tore away its arms. The rest of the body sailed backwards, recoiling with kinetic energy from its impact with Jasper's foot, cracking into another of its comrades. Flinging away one of the arms he had into the wriggling mass in front of him, Jasper pulled the shiny, black lighter from his pocket and set the flame against the seeping edge of the arm he still held. He stepped on the neck of the second body as it tried to squirm away, and pushed the crushed pieces into a neater pile. Using the flaming arm as a torch, he set the wrecked bodies on fire. Two down with minimal effort.

Turning away from the flames, he saw Alice flitting around a very puzzled newborn. She swarmed around her opponent like an angry cloud of gnats. Finally giving up its attempts to strike back at her, she leapt up and ripped its head off.

"Heads up, Jazz," she said as she tossed the head his way.

Jasper slammed the head into the burning rubble behind him and rushed forward, helping his mate dismantle the rest of the newborn.

"Did I ever tell you how sexy you look silhouetted by fire? Absolutely irresistible." Alice tore off an arm with a metallic crunch.

"No, you haven't but you can show me later how irresistible I am." Jasper tore the other arm off.

Alice just laughed wickedly and gathered up an armload of defeated vamp to toss in one of several pyres before she and Jasper looked for another vamp.

Emmett chose a different technique, one a boxer would have killed for. Starting with a crippling left hook directed at a jawline, he rendered his vamp senseless. He continued alternating blows, backing his opponent's cracking body closer to the flames. One final, devastating, right jab later, Emmett's punching bag fell into the fire without a sound.

Rosalie defeated her first vamp by letting him do all the work. While the first vamps went after the Cullen men, she slipped, unseen, behind a tree. As the remaining vamps charged through, she stuck out her arm, clothes lining an unsuspecting newborn. It writhed at her feet, a large, weeping crack visible at its midsection. Taking her lighter out, she lit the incapacitated vamp up. Her next opponent was a little harder to tackle, but Emmett ran to the rescue, pummeling her vamp with the arms of his last victim.

Carlisle and Esme worked as team, tearing apart a vamp. They took turns as to who did the tearing and who tossed the pieces into the fires.

Jasper and Emmett took the last remaining vamp down; they both saw it standing alone, clearly confused. They tore it neatly in half.

Amid the roiling plumes of smoke, Carlisle did a count of the destroyed. "Did anyone get Victoria?"

(*)

Her legs were burning from exertion. The blisters forming on her feet stung. It was impossible to tell how far she had run; it didn't seem like she ran far enough. She stopped where the mist thinned, catching her breath. The panic hadn't left her. She needed to find Mulder and get the hell out of here.

"Mulder!" She swung the beam of the flashlight in a cautious arc. Sometimes knowing what was really out there in the dark was worse than imagining.

In a moment of clear thinking, she pulled her phone from her coat pocket. Using the remaining charge, she dialed his number. It went directly to voice mail. "Mulder, it's me. Where..." The signal dropped. There wasn't enough battery left for her to try again.

The stillness around her was punctuated by movement, the movement of several large animals. Quiet, but not quiet enough for her not to hear the snap of twigs and the sway of branches. Suddenly, she thought of the blur of fur she and Mulder saw yesterday on their way into Forks and the large print it left behind.

Scully ran.

(*)

Outside the tent, Seth growled. Faintly at first, knowing those inside would hear him. He backed closer, guarding the girl he pledged to protect. The danger was closing in and his growl intensified.

"Stay here, Bella."

"Edward, what's wrong?"

He stood up, his eyes going several shades darker. "Just stay inside. Under no circumstances leave this tent until I come back for you," he growled.

He looked and sounded dangerous. Bella nodded and Edward went out through the unzipped tent flap. Worried, she crouched near the flap and peeked out. Seth and Edward stalked to the edge of the small clearing. Edward crouched down in a defensive posture. Seth's fur bristled. Her worst nightmare came true.

Two figures jumped down from the trees, one with dark hair and the other with hair the color of flames, and raced toward the tent. Bella jerked quickly away from the flap as Edward and Seth pursued the rushing vampires. Through the fear fogging her brain, she thought she heard what sounded like a car crash, the twisting and squealing of metal on metal.

Daring to peek again, the dark-haired figure was now crawling toward what looked like a smooth, white rock. A piece of his shoulder was missing and maybe a leg, she couldn't tell. She pulled the flap open more, looking for her heroes.

She gasped in horror. Victoria had Edward's head in her grasp, twisting and pulling at him ruthlessly. Seth had hold of her leg. His teeth made a sharp, dissonant sound against her skin.

Bella's eyes flew open wide as she heard the wrenching pop, followed by a shrill scream. Unable to block the ensuing sight from her mind, she flew out of the tent.

"Edward!"

(*)

Salvation.

The orange glow of fire through the mist calmed Scully. She found help. Breathlessly, she staggered forward. She was sore, but surprisingly uninjured. That was a relief; she needed to continue the search for her partner and she couldn't do it injured.

She stopped abruptly. A familiar, but entirely out of place smell hit her nose. The smell was reminiscent of Christmas Mass, sweet and spicy and somewhat exotic. Something else was wrong. The smoke from the fires stood out from the mist, dark, heavy and roiling. The quality and scent of the smoke was not what she'd expect from a few small campfires.

Before she decided what to do next, a growl sounded to her right. In the next instant, a dark shape rushed past her, between the growl and her. A tangle of darkness and light erupted, amid the strangled growls and yelps of pain. It ceased immediately following the grating sounds of nails on a chalkboard.

Puzzled, Scully moved closer to the heaving tangle, trying to see what was going on. Hard, cold arms pulled her away. She screamed.

 


	11. Isn't This Interesting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Standard Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight characters and Chris Carter owns the X-Files characters. I just had an enormous amount of fun playing with both sets of characters. I love complicated.

Bella stood riveted to the center of the small clearing following her mad dash out of the tent. As if in a daze, she observed the action around her. Seth had Victoria's denim clad leg in his mouth. He flung it aside soon after he wrenched it from her hip and moved in to grab more. Edward was free from Victoria's grasp. He now had her head under his arm. He spun around to face Bella, standing there still and wide-eyed.

"Bella, love. You should go back to the tent. You don't want to see this."

She made no move to return to the tent. Edward dropped the head and rushed to her side. He had never seen Bella so unresponsive before; she must be in shock. "Bella? Bella, can you hear me? It's all right now, love. She's gone." Edward pulled her to him, embracing her tightly. He felt her body relax into his and heard her draw in a shuddering breath.

"Oh, Edward. I thought she killed you. I know you told me to stay in the tent, but I had to do something. I couldn't just watch her tear your head off."

"I'm fine. What you heard was Seth pulling her leg off. I'm sorry you had to see her destruction. Are you sure you're okay? Do you feel faint? Nauseous?"

She shook her head. "No I'm fine. Relieved, actually."

Edward looked at her questioningly. "You're certain?"

"Absolutely."

"All right. Please go back to the tent. I won't be long." He felt for the blue lighter, Alice's gift, in his pocket. Bella still looked a little too disturbed. She might have another panic attack or worse, if she saw what he was about to do next. Behind him, he heard Seth still tearing away at what was left of Victoria and her partner. In the distance, the forest still reverberated with the sound of screeching metal and, to a human's ears, the rumble of thunder. The smell from the funeral pyres grew, lacing the air with the scent of death. He only hoped it was Victoria's army and not his family burning in those flames.

Bella made no move to leave Edward's arms. "Bella, please, I don't want you to see this. Go back to the tent."

"No." Her voice shook with a steady determination. "I  _need_  to see that she's really gone. I  _need_  to see she isn't coming back to hurt me or you,  _ever again_."

Edward nodded reluctantly. He didn't want her to see him like this, see him dealing death, but he understood the need for proof. He pulled the lighter from his pocket and went to work.

(*)

The solemn looks meeting Carlisle's gaze made him want to panic. All that carnage and Victoria was not among the fallen. They had failed. The threat hadn't been removed. "Alice..."

She held up a restraining hand. "Hang on a sec. I told him he needed to stay at  _least_  six feet from Seth." Her lips narrowed and she huffed out a breath. She felt the anxious eyes of her family on her, waiting for an answer. She couldn't see anything but the tent and the clearing.

Emmett was the first to crack under the pressure of waiting. "Why don't Jasper and I just run up and see?" He made a move to start running. Jasper hesitated, wanting to hear Alice's decision first.

Before she could answer, violent growls and snarls erupted from the relative quiet. This time, Emmett didn't wait for anyone's decision. He took off following the sounds, vaguely aware the rest of his family was right on his heels. He arrived in time to see one of the wolves dive in and scuffle with an unaccounted for vamp. Emmett prepared to jump into the fray as well, since the wolf was making some yelping noises now, but he heard the frightened pulse of a human heart. Turning, he saw a petite red-headed woman actually walking toward the fight. She must be the FBI agent Alice mentioned earlier. Without another thought, other than this chick was crazy for a whole lot of reasons, he grabbed her and pulled her away from the tangle of marble and fur.

And of course, she had to scream. He slipped his hand loosely over her mouth. She faced him, eyes wide with fear or knowledge, hell, he didn't even know which at this point. "Hey, hey. Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you, but you've got to get out of here." He tried to move her away and she struggled. "A little help here, people. She's freaking out on me."

There was a piercing yelp of pain from the wolf and it rolled away from the vamp. Jasper finished off the vamp, lighting up the torn pieces, while Carlisle cautiously leaned over the phasing wolf. Alice was lost in a vision; Emmett could tell by the way her eyes glazed over and her head tilted off to the right.

"Rosie? Esme? Can you help me get her out of here? I think she's seen too much already." At his quiet request, they stepped up beside him. Looking down at the fragile human in his arms, he eased his grip slightly. "I'm going to let you go. Whatever you do, don't start screaming. Just go with the nice ladies away from here before the shit gets too deep. All right?"

She nodded and Emmett released her. Rosalie and Esme ushered her away from the scene. Emmett turned back to where Carlisle and Jasper were kneeling by a naked form. Then he realized who was injured.

"Aw hell, Jacob. Bella's going to be pissed."

Carlisle turned his head away from his patient. "Emmett, I'm going to need your help and yours too, Jasper. His arm's been broken in several places. Thanks to his species rapid healing, the bones have begun to fuse at all the wrong angles. I'm going to have to re-set them so they'll mend correctly," Carlisle cast a sidelong glance at a still frozen Alice. "I don't think there's time for me to get any morphine in his system,  _if_  it would do any good. If I wait until all of this settles down, the re-setting will be even more painful. I know it's a lot to ask of you Jasper, but can you keep him calm?"

"Of course." Jasper placed his hands on Jacob's shoulders.

"Emmett, hold his legs still while I re-break the bones." Emmett obliged Carlisle, looking away when Carlisle took up the twisted arm.

The sickening snapping of bones and Jacob's muddled groans brought Alice out of her trance. She stepped in one direction and then another, uncharacteristic indecision written on her face. She stopped and made a frustrated gesture with her hands. "Oh. My. God. Seriously? All at once?" She shook her head. With a final huff, her bossy look took over as she began directing the next events.

"Carlisle, you have to get him out of here and the rest of the wolves too. We've got like five minutes before the Volturi get here. They can't know about the wolves." She motioned toward a patch of brush, where several pairs of eyes gleamed. The wolves kept themselves hidden since there was an unknown human around. "We especially have to get Jacob out of here before..."

"Jake!"

Alice caught Bella around the waist before she made it to her prone friend. Seth, still in wolf form, whined at the sight of his injured pack mate. "He's fine, Bella. His arm's been broken, but he'll live." They watched as Jasper and Emmett lifted a weak Jacob off the ground, guiding him to the rest of his pack. As he walked, he seemed more aware of his surroundings and eventually, he shrugged off his assistants, wincing as he moved his now bandaged arm.

"See? Now, where's Edward?"

"Right behind you."

"You did get Victoria? I couldn't see anything when we realized she wasn't in our group. I  _told_  you to keep at least six feet away from Seth." Alice punched Edward in the shoulder in agitation.

"Calm down, Alice. Seth and I took her down. Actually, Seth did most of the work. He took her leg right off at the hip. She was much easier to handle afterward. Sorry you couldn't see us."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter now so long as she's gone. Where are Rose and Esme? We have to be one, big happy family when the Volturi arrive."

"The Volturi?" Bella blanched.

"Don't worry about them. Where..."

"Rosie and Esme are with the FBI agent. She was going to check on the wolf/vamp fight, crazy chick." Emmett shook his head at the memory.

Alice stared at Emmett. "What do you mean  _the_  FBI agent? There should be two. Where's the other one?"

(*)

They kept touching her with their cold hands, the touch reminding her of granite counter tops in a kitchen, slightly cooler than the ambient temperature, and just as hard and unforgiving. It was unnerving. She slipped from them, turned and looked at them both.

"Look, I don't know who or what you are, I just want to find my partner and get the hell out of here. Can you help me find him?"

The two exchanged glances. They had heard Alice's vision of the Volturi. They couldn't let her go wandering off alone, nor could they escort her to safety. The woman tried to move past them. Rosalie pulled her back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rosalie inquired coolly.

"If you aren't going to help me find my partner, then I'm going to keep looking for him."

Esme cast a sympathetic glance at the human held in place by Rosalie's hands. The panic in the woman's voice reminded her of the anxiety she felt in her early life, when Carlisle left for work. She had never heard of humans forming such strong bonds before, but then this woman and her partner were in law enforcement. Obviously, the bond between professional partners must be different. "We will help you find him, but it's too dangerous right now."

"Exactly. That's all the more reason why we need to find him."

The women exchanged glances again. This time though, it appeared like they were listening. The friendlier looking woman bent down to face her and the blonde relinquished the cool grip on her shoulders. "You must stay here. As soon as we can, we'll help you search for your partner. We'll be back."

With that, the two disappeared at an impossibly fast pace.

Looking over the facts, Scully recalled the legends Mulder told her last night. Those legends could not be true. There had to be another explanation for the cadaver-like hands touching her, for the deathly pallor of their skin. There was a logical explanation for it all, even if she couldn't think of a better on than Mulder's.

If she was able to get Mulder back, safe and sound, she might indulge him by admitting he was right.

(*)

Esme took her place by Carlisle's side moments before the Volturi approached. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from this confrontation. For the most part, in the past, he had trusted them. Now, he was wary. If they were a threat to his family, the Volturi could not be trusted. He pressed his wife closer to his side.

"This battle isn't over. There are more lives at stake. I've heard the FBI agent's mind. If you insist no one believes him, maybe Jane will back down. Besides, she has made an assumption that will displease Aro and the rest, a very dangerous assumption," Edward whispered urgently in Carlisle's ear.

"What assumption? You've heard the male FBI agent's mind?"

Edward shrugged. "I only got a brief glimpse through the static. He's with the Volturi and if you want to save him and his partner, you've got to threaten Jane. She'll make it easy." He slipped away, crouching in front of Bella protectively as the Volturi approached through the shadows cast by the dying flames. Felix was half-dragging the FBI agent and Jane was in the lead, flanked by her twin.

"Well, looky here. It's the Brainwave Duo and the Meat Head Posse," Emmett called out sourly.

"Emmett," Carlisle warned softly. "Jane, how nice of you to show up. It appears you are a little late though. We've taken care of the threat against my family." The forced nicety felt unfamiliar in Carlisle's mouth, but he needed to judge Jane's reactions.

"We're terribly sorry, but it looks as though you did quite well." And there it was, a faint trace of anger running through her typically apathetic voice. The fight had not gone the way she wished. Carlisle could no longer trust the Volturi.

"Now that we are here, perhaps we should discuss the type of pets you've been keeping, Carlisle. I see the blank slate's heart still beats." Edward growled at her mean spirited insult against his mate. "I'm sure Aro will find the news very intriguing. But you've been keeping other pets too. You really should be careful when selecting a pet. Some are more dangerous than others." She jerked the FBI agent roughly from Felix's grasp and he fell to the ground in the no-man's land between the Cullens and the Volturi. "I believe this one is yours."

"He's not."

"Oh really. You expect me to believe he's really an FBI agent. Had you stayed in Volterra instead of creating a  _family_ ," Jane choked on the word, "you might know what he is already. He's a threat to our lifestyle, even yours. When his kind take over, there will be nothing left for us, nothing at all."

The man on the ground stirred. He rose to his full height, towering over Jane. "Look, I still don't know what you think I am, but I'm getting an idea. I'm not plotting anything. I'm just looking for the truth and thanks to you, I've found it. I'm pretty sure my blood's still red and not green. Maybe you'd like a taste."

Jane's eyes flew open wide in shock. Before anyone said anything else, Jasper pulled Mulder away from the Volturi. "Don't make her an offer she can't refuse," Jasper whispered harshly as he pushed the agent behind Emmett and himself, forming a barrier to protect the vulnerable agent from Jane's wrath.

"I'm certain Aro will find your visit very interesting, especially the part where you exposed a vital secret. I wonder what he'll do to you?" Carlisle asked humorlessly.

In a flash Jane was standing in front of him. "I never once said anything about what we were."

"Perhaps, but you also assumed he wasn't human, thus giving him too much information. If you ever got to know them, you would have found that they are quite smart and resourceful. It has been awhile since you were last one. I suppose you've forgotten what it's like."

"You know what has to happen. He must be changed or he must be killed. " There was a faint note of panic in her voice as she attempted to backtrack on her actions. She was certain he was one of the Colonists. His scent smelled of them. He must die. If she could toss him in the fire, it would finish him, whatever he may be, and she would save face with Aro. But no, the supposed agent, supposed human, was behind the scarred empath and his boulder-like coven mate. She had strict instructions not to harm the Cullens, unless they had been harmed by Victoria first. It was a good thing Victoria was reduced to ashes by now, otherwise she would have to dirty her hands and light up the ineffective witch for lying to a Volturi guard member.

"If he told anyone about us, no one would believe him. Let him live, but of course, you were the one that left the cat out of the bag. It's your decision." Carlisle hoped this was enough to dissuade Jane from killing the man. It was the only way to save this man's life. Doing anything to actually injure Jane or the rest of the Guard would bring a sure and swift death to his family.

Jane stepped closer. "How do you know this? From your mind reader or your oracle?" She hissed. She turned sharply and moved toward Edward. She hated these particular Cullens most of all. Aro was most delighted by their gifts several months ago when they were in Volterra. They threatened her centuries of security. "Is this true?" She stopped in front of Edward, glaring up at him menacingly.

Edward growled, barely audible, but threatening nonetheless. "Yes. He makes his living in the paranormal; his views and findings are often discredited or ignored entirely his higher ups. He is closely monitored as well. I'm sure the Volturi reach is even further than the US government's. You can keep tabs on him if you'd like. You won't be the first to do so, nor will you be the last."

"Fine. Let him live, for now." She glared over Jasper's shoulder to Mulder. "We'll be watching." She strode away soundlessly, returning to the other Volturi members. "You really should keep more control over your pet, Edward. The next trouble that finds her might be the end of her. Come, we have a flight to catch." They turned and left as quietly as they came.

"What no goodbye? I thought they were classier than that." Emmett uncrossed his arms, relaxing his posture.

"I certainly wasn't going to sit and hold hands with Jane, singing Kumbaya around the campfire. She gives evil a bad name." Rosalie kissed her husband's cheek.

"Thanks, Jasper, for reciting his personnel information. I didn't think Jane would back down so easily." Edward fist bumped his brother.

"No problem."

"Would anybody care to explain what in the hell just happened?"

(*)

She must be dehydrated. Scully thought she heard voices, but it couldn't be voices. The sound was wrong, too fast, too high. Like the sound of angels. Yeah, she was definitely dehydrated and having aural hallucinations.

No one was coming back to help her find Mulder. What could be more important than finding a man missing in the dark, damp forests of the Pacific Northwest. Forests, which obviously were chock full of dangerous wolves and God knows what else.

So she started walking in the direction the two women had gone some minutes earlier. She heard voices again. This time they were slower, more distinct. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Mulder!"

(*)

He turned around at the frantic sound of her voice. Scully jogged toward him. He never saw a more beautiful sight. She looked exhausted and relieved, but she was safe. Princess Apathy and Rage hadn't found Scully first.

Scully stopped just short of hugging Mulder, clutching his arm instead. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine and I was just about to find out. Care to answer?"

"I'm afraid we can't give you the answers you want," Carlisle said slowly.

"Any answers will do."

"My son and I may have spared you today, but if I give you too much information, that will change."

"Can you tell me who the red eyed monks and their pain queen are?"

Carlisle looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "They belong to an international governing body, overseeing people similar to us."

"Similar how?"

A silent discussion passed between Carlisle and his son, Edward. Edward shook his head, before Carlisle continued. "Similar needs."

"Dietary needs?"

Carlisle didn't answer.

"Okay." Mulder decided to let the subject drop. "So what happened here?" he motioned to the dying fires surrounding the group.

"A threat to my family, to the whole area, was eliminated."

Mulder had gathered that much already and Carlisle's answer wasn't quite satisfactory. "Was this threat the same group we've been looking for, first in Seattle, then here?"

After a moment's hesitation, Carlisle answered. "Yes."

"The one you called Jane, do you have any idea whom she mistook me for?" Mulder already knew, but he wasn't one of them. Or was he? What really happened to him in Russia?

"I truthfully can't answer. It's been many years since I was with this governing body. I have no knowledge of any alliances they have made. We do have means of finding out, if you'd like us to find the answer..."

"I have a feeling we already know. It's been a really long day. How about we get out of the woods?"

"Of course. Our home isn't far from here. You're welcome to stay the night there."

"No, we'd better find our car. It's a rental and we left it somewhere." Mulder looked around, getting back some sense of direction. Bella was standing behind Edward, but Jacob was nowhere to be seen. How had she gotten here and where did Jacob go? Mulder got the feeling he and Scully missed something very big.

"When we get back to the house, Edward will drive you back to your car. He should be getting Bella back home as well."

(*)

They slipped in behind the rest of the crowd filling the gymnasium. A sea of yellow robed students sat near the front. From the eager look on their faces and the way the speaker at the podium was increasing his speech pattern, the ceremony was near the end. The speaker wrapped up a little breathlessly and the crowd applauded loudly, punctuated by cheers and mortarboards tossed high in the air. The crowd got to its feet and happy voices buzzed through the room.

"Some of the graduates look more ecstatic than others." Mulder nodded to where a group of Cullen children were gathered, taking photos. "Bet nobody would guess they're vampires."

"We have no proof if they are or not. I think it's best to leave this one alone."

"Come on, Scully. You have to know what they are."

"I have suspicions as to what they are, but no way to prove it to anyone else. It's probably for best, anyway. We're already tangled in conspiracies and government plots, we don't need to add more people to the list."

"I wouldn't exactly call some of them people," Mulder muttered, recalling the painful imaginary flames Jane unleashed on him. "So is that what you're saying in the report?"

"Not exactly. I'm just reporting what we can prove as the truth. We followed up on leads in Forks, which proved to be weak. Upon concluding our investigation in Forks, we contacted Seattle authorities, who reported no new cases. Our involvement in the case has been suspended, at which point we return to Washington DC tomorrow. Another branch of the FBI will take a look at the missing person cases and eventually those cases will become cold. There are no answers, no suspects, nothing for years."

"Until somebody working in the X-Files digs it up."

"At which point, the people involved will be impossible to find. Almost as if it never happened."

"But a few will remember."

"Yes." Scully glanced at the Cullen family leaving. "I'm sure some will never forget. You're right you know."

Mulder felt faint. Did Scully just say he was right? "About what?"

"Legends. There is some truth behind them, more than you might think."

They fell into silence, watching the rest of the happy graduates and their families trickling out of the gymnasium. Chief Swan was talking with a man in a wheelchair and his tall son. Billy and Jacob Black.

"See you tomorrow, Billy. Jake are you sure you can manage? I've had a dislocated shoulder before and it hurt like hell for a couple of days. You really need to be more careful on your motorcycle."

"I'm good, really." Jacob made a muscle with his good arm. "I've got enough strength to take on the whole football team. See you later, Charlie." Jacob laughed and pushed his father through the door.

Charlie turned around, smiling back proudly at the temporary stage erected in the front of the gym. Besides Bella's birth, this was the second happiest day in his life, although he suspected the next happy moment in his life might have something to do with the funky antique currently adorning his daughter's left hand. But that better not happen anytime soon.

Turning back, he caught sight of the FBI agents lingering by one of the exits. Bella would be out most of the night at the graduation party Alice had planned and it looked like they weren't in a hurry to get back to DC.

"Congratulations, Chief Swan." Mulder offered him as he approached.

"Thanks, one of the best days of my life. You two heading back yet?"

"We have a late flight out of Seattle tomorrow," Scully answered.

"Would you like to go out and get some coffee later tonight? Or tea, whatever you like." He was surprised at how smooth he sounded. Well, except for the last bit. That might have been a little clumsy.

"Yes, I'd like too. And coffee's fine."

Epilogue

Red Eyes and Cigarette Smoke

He didn't hear his visitor enter, but he had expected this visit. Not many things surprised him. He remained in front of the window, looking out at the night darkened city. "What brings you here? We haven't heard from Italy in decades."

"You know why. Keep your little spies away from our dealings." The perfect voice answered. The sound of a file being pushed across polished wood filled the room.

"My spies? You're quite mistaken. They aren't spies, but they are very important to our cause. I'd appreciate if you didn't kill them just yet." He turned away from the window and picked up the file, paging through it. "You've been keeping tabs on them?"

"Yes. We don't trust them."

He reached for his cigarettes, selecting one from the pack, and lit it with a methodical coolness. The red eyes across the room gleamed faintly in the shadowy light cast by the light pollution outside the window. "It's quite unnecessary, you know. We watch them carefully. Besides, they aren't interested in your truth. It's ours they're after."

"Let's strike a deal here, shall we? We'll back off on our surveillance, but should they come our way again, no matter how innocent it seems, we will provide them with some answers. I'm sure you know what answers we'll give them. They'll be free to tell anyone that listens and then, well, they'll be our pets, to do with as we please. Since they'll be under our protection, if you will, you won't be able to stop them. Is this agreeable?"

The man took a deep drag from the cigarette, holding his breath thoughtfully, before expelling the smoke. He rolled the cigarette between his fingers, admiring the soft orange glow from the end, before he gave his answer. "It is agreeable, yes." He turned back to gaze out of the window. "Are we finished here?"

"Quite." The visitor with the red eyes left without a sound.

Some minutes later, when he was sure no one would hear him, he laughed. If those fools only knew how pointless this new agreement was, how it didn't change a thing, they'd give up this game of smoke and mirrors. They had nothing on their group. The Colonists would finish them without a second thought.

(*)

The cloaked visitor with red eyes slipped into the waiting limo. As it pulled away from the curb, the visitor laughed. Those fools, didn't they realize all their agreements were impotent? They hadn't learned anything over the millennia. Their deal with these Colonists was as bogus as the Volturi's deal with the same group. The Volturi only agreed to it because it kept the Colonists out of their way. The first chance they got to destroy the Colonists, they would. Those ridiculous humans honestly believed the Colonists would spare them.

The visitor sat back against the seat with a sigh. It really pays to be on the top of the food chain.

The End...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thanks to Roswell 1828 for looking over this and guest beta Nayarit.
> 
> Another thanks to some helpful tools used in the development of this story: Google Earth, Twilight Lexicon, The Twilight Saga Official Illustrated Guide, IMDb, Netflix and Pandora radio.
> 
> Thanks again for reading this oddly twisted tale. It's been loads of fun and tons of driving me crazy, but I don't regret this awesome experience.
> 
> Again, I sincerely hope you have had as much fun reading this crazy story as I have had writing it. I hope I've changed your mind about crossovers. They're much more than crackfic, sometimes.
> 
> Also keep in mind too, that I was trying to give the impression of an episode of The X-Files. I hope I've succeeded in that respect.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: All information about the disappearances in Seattle is taken from Eclipse, pages 279-281. I will also take some facts from New Moon. I have not taken any information from Bree Tanner's story. Never read and am not going to, ever. Yes, I have tweaked the time line a bit. Bella realizes it is Victoria's army after her before graduation. The story essentially takes place over two days prior to Bella's graduation. I assumed that the bodies found were victims of vampire attacks, not vampires killed by other vampires. My reasoning for this is: if they were vampires, then they would burn completely. If vampire newborns don't burn completely, then the Cullen clan is going to have to work harder to destroy the evidence after the battle in Eclipse. I'm also operating under the assumption that vampire venom is like a natural lighter fluid. I hope I haven't lost any of you yet:) Any questions, just ask me.
> 
> I would like to thank Rosewell 1828 for pre-reading and beta-ing this story. Thanks a bunch!
> 
> Originally published on Fanfiction.net 9/27/10 and elsewhere since that date.


End file.
